Celeriac

corblimey

Bought some of this at the weekend. My potato consumption is gone way up since I started cooking properly and I need a bit of variety. It tasted great, but lordy, what a bugger of a thing to prepare. I kept just chopping away at it til there was no brown bits left, and I say I threw away easily a third of the thing. I read somewhere that its 'tastiest' bits are just below the skin, but that's just vague enough as to be completely useless. Any tips of how to prepare?

rocknchef

like preping a melon if you just slice the top and tail off so it sits straight on your board. then starting at the top just follow your knife down following the curve. if you get me also better off using a sharp carving knife if you have one.

hope i made myself clear

also great in beef stews and soups etc

corblimey

So the top and bottom and a thin slice of the skin are the only inedible parts? There's no 'core' or anything? The one I got had a large hole in the middle and I kinda cut around that aswell just in case.

rocknchef

thats it just the outside everything else is edible

also nice raw if you grate it and mix with a little dijon mayonnaise, or subsitute it for the carrot in homemade coleslaw.

tk123

Can i ask what you guys are paying for a celeriac - i picked one up in Tescos yesterday and it was almost €5?

Rex Manning

I've only used celeriac with potato, a big celeriac with a few spuds boiled and then mashed as normal - without the spuds it's a bit runny! it can be used in soups as well to give it a bit of a base or more consistency i think but i've never done it.

I've paid less than a pound (I'm in scotland) for a celeriac - i think it might have been about 60p, so anything anywhere near a fiver is crazy

rocknchef

Yeah €5 is crazy €2-€3 is max I would spend. try look for the smaller size ones as they have most flavour.

Mrs.T

We use celeriac in a Dutch pea soup but you can also boil cubed celeriac in cream gently and mash it up when most of the liquid is gone.
In Sligo we pay 99c for our celeriac.

dh0661

Mrs.T wrote: »

In Sligo we pay 99c for our celeriac.

€1-25 @ local greengrocers Tralee. All celeriac's on sale now are old season and not at their best.

I prefer them when they are "new" with the green stalks on them.

tk123

Cheers guys - I knew I was being ripped off with that Tesco price!!

Faith

Did you actually pay €5 for it, or was it maybe marked as €5 per kilo or something? I can't understand how they could charge that much!

tk123

No way did I pay €5! I think it was something like 2.99 a kilo.

MoominPapa

I use a potato peeler and and just stop at the weird, rooty bits and you shouldn't have to pay more than 1.50 each.

Heres my half remembered version of a Gordon Ramsey celeriac dish

Cut equal parts celeriac and carrot into small cubes fry in butter with crushed , chopped garlic until tender - this only takes a few minutes

add shredded, blanched savoy cabbage/ kale (or something similar)
Stir fry for a couple of minutes

add cream, a couple of teaspoons of dijon and season to taste.

Great accompaniment to roasted red meat, think he did it with venison, I do it with beef. Place the meat on top of a portion of the veg mix and pour over gravy. The gravy and earthy cream sauce are fantastic

gollyitsolly

rocknchef wrote: »

thats it just the outside everything else is edible

also nice raw if you grate it and mix with a little dijon mayonnaise, or subsitute it for the carrot in homemade coleslaw.

Its gorgeous if just grated ,then add mayonnaise. Leave it in a colander/strainer over a bowl in the fridge for about an hour to let the excess water drain. mmmmmm.......

Keith in cork

Prepare it like you would a turnip. Theres going to be waste unless your careful with your knife skills.

bring some milk (cream if your loaded), a bay leaf, sprig of rosemary, sprig of thyme, 2 cloves of garlic, to the boil, add your diced celeriac, simmer until cooked. Don't boil it! Puree when done. Great with game.

As said above, grate it, let the water off, some honey and dijon. great in salads or on meat.

Its the wrong time of year for it. Search seasonal food charts on google. print it, stick it up in your kitchen so you know what in season and the best time to buy and eat ingredients.