Celeriac

Description: Celeriac is the actually bulbous root of certain varieties of celery. In fact, another name for it is Turnip rooted celery. As such it has the same flavour as celery. In appearance it is a white, knobbly globe with tentacle like roots coming from the bottom. Some people may be put off using celeraic because of the effort required cleaning its knobbly surface, but it has a delicious flavour and can be eaten raw or cooked, making it a very versatile vegetable.

In Season: October - February

Preparation: Grate and add to salads. Cut into cubes it makes a very nice addition to stews or caseroles. Also cubed it can be boiled for half an hour with a little salt and lemon juice and then served as it is as a side vegetale or mashed with a little butter. A popular French dish is grated celeriac smothered in mayonnaise.

Recipe: Roasted Celeriac
Take a large (750g-1kg) celeriac and peel and chop into chunks. Add to it 2 crushed cloves of garlic, a good sprinkling of fresh thyme and a little salt and pepper. Pour a generous quantity of oilive oil over the top and mingle ingredients with your fingers. Pre-heat oven to 200oC (gas mark 6) and roast for 30-40 minutes.