Celery root has historically been the vegetable the appears each fall in our farm share box, and I stare at it and think “Huh?”…and wonder what to do with it. When cooked, it tastes of celery and has a texture somewhere between a parsnip and potato. Lots of people seem to mash it up with potatoes, but I don’t care for mashes, so I usually just peel it, cube it and chuck it in a stew, where it stays in the background.
Over the holiday weekend, while we were comatose on the couch after who knows how many leftover turkey sandwiches, I was watching the Food Network (dreaming of more food, even in my food coma), and saw one of the chefs prepare a celery root and apple slaw. Her salad was far fancier than this one – complete with pan roasted mushrooms sauteed in duck fat – I don’t have that, but I can tell you that this salad is super-healthy and has an unexpected lightness from this ugly root veggie. The light, earthy celery flavor against the tart, sweet apple is perfection, and the vinaigrette balances the two with a savory note.
Oh, and I served this excellent salad with my slow roasted BBQ pork shoulder tacos with handmade tortillas. Oh, Yeah. Not bad for a Monday night dinner.
Celery Root Apple Slaw
Serves 2
1 large celery root
1 apple – tart/crisp variety
1 tangerine, juiced and seeds discarded
1 T olive oil
1 T stone ground mustard
salt & pepper to taste
garnish with cilantro
- Make the vinaigrette – in a small bowl, combine the tangerine juice, olive oil, mustard and whisk to combine. Add salt & pepper to taste – I like quite a bit of pepper in my slaw.
- Clean the celery root by cutting off all the rough edges and tough ends. Use a mandoline with the thin-cutting blade and slice the celery root and apple into lovely moon-shaped slices. Stack the slices up into small piles and cut the pieces into thin matchsticks. Place the apple & celery root in a medium mixing bowl and toss with the vinaigrette. Taste, and adjust seasoning. Let slaw marinate in the fridge for a half hour before serving.
157 cal per serving, 60 cal from fat, 7.1g fat, 380 mg sodium, 75mg potassium, 24g carbs, 4g fiber, 15g sugars, 1.7g protein
The Whole Kitchen 
this makes me sad. i want to do the farm share so bad next time around but i HATE. No, I LOATHE celery root. i'm hoping you're going to tell me that there aren't too many in the shipments because they will definitely be wasted…. although i would make one last effort to use them….. but just one! maybe in a stew, well hidden….i you have lots of root veggies though, try this: http://chiknpastry.com/2009/03/something-else-to-root-for/
Heather, we do the Simply Wisconsin Summer and Winter CSAs, and we received celery root once at the end of the summer, and once in the Winter Share, to date, so give CSAs a try – you'll love it, and it definitely brings inspiration to the blog! I wouldn't say I loathed celeriac before, but I really loved this recipe – give it a try next time you get stuck with a root. đŸ™‚
Oh, yummmmmmmmmmy.We don't do a farm share because our coop buys most of their produce from local, organic farmers. Also, we grow our own herbs and many veggies, too.I do think getting a food share would encourage me to try new foods, though.We did get half a pig from a local organic farmer, and it is the best pork I have ever tasted.
Fiona – I'm jealous that you have a co-op AND have space to grow things on your own! Chicago has no co-ops, and not having a garden of my own is the one thing I really wished I had, but it's not to be in condo living right now.
I don't believe I have ever had celery root before so I can't confirm or deny my love for the root. I'm sure it's delish with a honey crisp apple though.
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Thanks again for telling me about this recipe using Celeriac (Celery Root). I didn’t get a chance to make it yet, but I did link back to your recipe on my blog! I mentioned in in a post about what to do with celeriac: http://foodmarriage.com/2013/06/celeriac-mashed-potatoe.html – Thanks!!