Celeriac: ugly little root with a delicate taste

We've all heard it before "Never judge a book by.. ". Well this is more a case of never-judge-a-veg-by-its-jacket. Celeriac, whichever way you look at it, will never win a beauty contest. Some vegetables, sitting on a stall, look so inviting and full of promise. Take the glossy purple aubergine, who doesn't want to pick one up and feel its dull weight in your hand (ahem, that may just be me). Or deep red peppers, not so much the ones found in supermarkets here, all perfect and virginal, but the ones you find in a Spanish market, gnarled and twisted and varied in hues of red. What cook can spy them without visualising them leeching out their bloody juices into a pan of olive oil?

But celeriac, there it sits, hoping to be picked, last one on the team. Lumpy, misshapen, a bit like a creature from Dr Who (I'm sure there was one with a head that was based on a celeriac). Hiding its talent for those who bother to look at the beauty within.

Enough, you get the picture.

Anyway, I saw a sad celeriac and remembered having some delicious celeriac remoulade at a friend's place (was it you Brona?). So I bought and brought it home. But unfortunately the fine British weather decreed that salads were off the menu and so I decided on a soup. And lovely it was too.

This soup recipe is a fast version - I made it when I came home from work and I didn't want to wait too long - American Idol had just started and I am rooting (ouch) for Crystal*. This soup needed to be quick and easy. Celeriac for all its ugliness has a delicate, fresh taste somewhat akin to celery without the greeny punch of celery. I like celery but many don't, so please don't be put off by the taste comparison and do try to taste some celeriac. I know that when preparing celeriac the standard advice is to submerge the peeled / chopped / grated celeriac into a bowl of water to which you have added some lemon juice to prevent oxidisation. Celeriac oxidises quickly and so discolours (oxidisation doesn't affect taste) but this dish is so fast I don't bother about that and it is for home cooking after all, not restaurant fare.

One last word, it was very difficult to sketch and I'm not sure I have done its lumpiness justice. One can appreciate why celeriac didn't appear in many still life paintings! But its woody appearance invites further drawing investigation. Only now I need to eat.

Celeriac Soup

1 medium celeriac
2 small potatoes
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 litre stock / water
½ teaspoon mix of ground cumin & fennel seeds
1 tablespoon oil
salt & pepper
lemon juice, approx 1 tablespoon
creme fraiche or cream to serve

Sauté the shallot in the oil till soft but not brown. Add the spices and stir in.

Peel the potatoes and celeriac and immediately grate them into the saucepan with the softened shallot. Squeeze a bit of lemon juice into the grated vegetables. Stir and cook for a few minutes on a low to medium heat.

Now add your stock and bring to to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for 15 minutes until the vegetables are cooked and soft.

Blend till smooth, taste and season. You may need to add more stock now or perhaps some cream (if you do add cream don't bring it back to the boil though, just heat it back up to below boiling point).

Serve in a bowl with a dollop of creme fraiche and a scattering of green herbs such as chives or finely chopped celery leaves.

Alternatively crunchy topping of small croutons or pumpkin seeds which have been tossed in sugar and salt and roasted in the oven then cooled make wonderful toppings.

*Latest news: Crystal still in the competition, my shilling's on her to win.**
**Later news: Crystal was runner up. She was robbed and I lost my shilling!