Ingredients

half a medium celeriac, peeled and julienned
2 tablespoons lemon juice
5-6 tablespoons vegetable cream (I used almond cream)
a few fresh parsley leaves, cleaned and chopped
1 teaspoon truffle paté (a paté of black summer truffle in olive oil, with no added ingredients)
hazelnut oil, to taste
whole sea salt, just enough to taste

Makes 2 servings.

Directions

In a salad bowl, combine the celeriac, lemon juice, cream and parsley and toss. Add the truffle paté, hazelnut oil and salt and mix again. Serve cool or at room temperature.

Ingredients

half a very small head celeriac, peeled and shaved thin
1 red apple (I used Red Delicious), cleaned, quartered and cut into very thin slices
1 very small lemon, cleaned and cut into thin slices
lemon juice, to taste
extra virgin olive oil, to taste
whole sea salt, just enough to taste
rice malt syrup, to taste
whole grain, old style mustard, to taste
apple vinegar, to taste

Makes 2 servings.

Directions

In a salad bowl combine the celeriac, apple and lemon slices and drizzle with some lemon juice. In a separate, smaller bowl, combine the olive oil, salt, rice malt syrup, mustard and apple vinegar until completely mixed. Transfer the vegetables into individual serving plates then pour the dressing over them just before serving.

Ingredients

100 g dried and peeled chestnuts, soaked in filtered water for 20 minutes
1 medium celeriac, peeled and cut into pieces
whole sea salt
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Himalayan salt, just enough to taste
400 ml filtered water (you can use all or part of the leftover cooking water you used to steam the celeriac)
400 ml plain and unsweetened oat milk
freshly ground black pepper, just enough to taste
hazelnut oil, to taste
fresh parsley leaves, to taste

Makes 2-4 servings.

Directions

Boil the chestnuts in filtered, slightly salted water until very tender (it will take no less than 30 minutes), then rinse them under cold running water and rub off any dark skins. In the meantime, place the celeriac bits in a steamer fitted over a saucepan, add enough water to reach the bottom of the steamer and sprinkle with some salt. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and steam just until tender (it will take about 15 minutes). Remove the celeriac from the heat and transfer it in the bowl of a food processor, add the chestnuts, olive oil, Himalayan salt, water and oat milk and process until very smooth. Add some more water or milk if you like a runnier soup (using milk only will make the texture a bit richer). Reheat the soup if necessary, then stir it into serving bowls, sprinkle some black pepper and hazelnut oil over it and garnish with the parsley leaves.

Ingredients

1 medium-sized celeriac
6-8 tablespoons corn flour
whole sea salt, to taste
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon dried mint leaves, finely crushed
1 teaspoon powdered coriander seeds

Makes 12-15 patties.

Directions

Peel the celeriac, cut it into even-sized chunks and put them in a steamer placed over a saucepan filled with water (4 cups should be enough), sprinkle with some salt, put a lid on and steam until tender (it should take 25-30 minutes). You can tell if it’s ready by piercing it with a fork. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 200° C. Remove the celeriac from the steamer, pat dry with a paper towel, and mash with a potato masher or fork (I wouldn’t use an electric beater). Let cool a bit, then add the flour, olive oil, salt to taste, mint and coriander. Mix well. Form the celeriac into patties of 3-4 cm diameter, about 1-1 ½ cm thick, keeping your hands wet all the time to prevent sticking, and place them in the oven on a sheet of lightly oiled parchment paper. Bake for about 30-40 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp on both sides.

Thoughts, tips, ideas

Simple and totally yummy, these patties are a great alternative to traditional potato patties. They’re nice if eaten warm with a pretty salad on the side but they also work beautifully as appetizers or finger foods. Just make sure to eat them right away as they will get soggy if left to sit too long.

This combination of celeriac, apple and cabbage sounds wintery but fresh at the same time. You can probably substitute the celeriac with celery for an even fresher result. I really love this salad, like any other dish featuring that fabulous root vegetable also known as celeriac! To make this salad I chose organic vegetables (the apple is organic, too) and organic soy cream.

Ingredients makes 4 servings

For the salad

1 small celeriac, peeled

1 green apple, peeled and cored

1 small white cabbage

the juice of 1 lemon

1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

For the dessing

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons lemon juice

½ teaspoon powdered, dried mint

whole sea salt (to taste)

ground black pepper (to taste)

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons unsweetened soy cream

Dressing

In a bowl, whisk the olive oil, soy cream (rawists might want to replace this with 4 teaspoons almond butter, mixed with 2 teaspoons water to reach a thinner texture), lemon juice and apple vinegar together, then add the dried mint and season with black pepper and sea salt. Stir and set aside.

Salad

Shred the apple and the celeriac using the large holes of a box grater. Transfer the shreds in to a bowl and stir in the lemon juice to prevent the apple and celeriac from turning brown. Thinly slice the cabbage and add it to the apple and celeriac. Toast the walnuts in a pan for 2 to 3 minutes (rawists can certainly ignore this step!). Add the dressing and the walnuts to the salad and toss gently to combine.

Celeriac is good raw, either added to a salad or eaten on its own, and it’s great cooked in soups and stews. Anyone who likes celery and parsley, will love celeriac. Some people bake it, enjoying the inner flesh once the skin has been removed. The mashed celeriac I’m proposing here can be enjoyed on its own, although it can accompany almost anything that is vegetarian or vegan (tofu, seitan, tempeh) and even non-vegetarian. This is my own recipe, for which I used one medium-sized organic celeriac.

Ingredients (makes 4 servings):

1 medium-sized celeriac

1 cup unsweetened soy milk

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

the juice of 1 lemon

whole sea salt (to taste)

freshly ground black pepper (to taste)

ground nutmeg

Peel the celeriac, cut it into medium even-sized chunks and put them in a steamer fitted over a large saucepan filled with water (4 cups should be enough), sprinkle some salt over them, put a lid on and steam the celeriac until it’s tender (it should take 25-30 minutes). You can tell if it’s ready by piercing it with a fork. Remove the celeriac from the steamer, pat dry with a paper towel if necessary, and mash with a potato masher or fork until fluffy (don’t use an electric beater). Return the mashed celeriac to the saucepan, add the soy milk, olive oil and lemon juice and stir over medium heat until thickened. Taste and add sea salt, if necessary. Transfer it to your serving dish and season with a few drops of olive oil, black pepper, and freshly ground nutmeg, to your taste.