Harmony Valley Farm: September 22, 2022 - This Week's Box Contents Featuring Celeriac

I can hardly believe we are two-thirds of the way through this CSA year, but this week will mark the first day of Autumn and we’re packing the first winter squash in this week’s box! I told you a shift was coming this week and it’s here. Leeks, celeriac, and winter squash replace watermelon, sweet corn, and tomatoes. Here on the farm, we can feel the changing of the seasons with the shifts in our work. We’re starting to whittle away at our long list of root crop harvests. We’ve harvested about half of our celeriac and burdock crops and we’re bringing in our fall storage cabbages this week! I guess it’s time to shift back to soups and hearty cold weather fare!

This week’s featured vegetable is the subtle, yet sophisticated, celeriac. I tend to use celeriac in very simple ways, such as with this week’s featured recipes. The first recipe pairs celeriac with potatoes to make Celeriac and Hash Brown Cake (See Below). The second recipe is for a traditional celeriac preparation, Celeriac Remoulade (See Below). This is a simple slaw that goes nicely with a variety of things including baked fish and grilled chicken.

There are a lot of peppers in this week’s box! I pulled up a few of my favorite recipes for poblano peppers from past years. Those of you who have been with us for a while will likely remember these recipes, but they are keepers! I also offered up a few suggestions for how to put one jalapeno to use in recipes for breakfast!

Green salads are back on the menu with the return of head lettuce and salad mix. This week’s recipe suggestions are for homemade dressings and vinaigrettes you can make yourself to dress these lovely greens!

I hope you enjoy this transition week as we collectively celebrate the official start of Autumn. Pull out your favorite winter squash recipes and don’t forget to share your culinary creations with us in our Facebook Group! Happy cooking…and eating!

—Andrea

Vegetable Feature: Celeriac

by Andrea Yoder

Celeriac, or celery root as it is also known, can be a bit intimidating if you’re encountering it for the first time. However, as with all vegetables, there’s really no need to be intimidated…it’s just a vegetable! Celeriac is in the same family as celery. The difference is that celeriac is grown for its root and celery is grown for its stalks. While this week’s celeriac has tops, we only harvest them with the tops in late summer or early fall. Pretty soon we will mechanically harvest the entire crop to put them into storage. When we do this, the top is cut off and we store only the root. The stalks on celeriac resemble celery and have a lot of delicious flavors in them, however they are more tough and fibrous than celery and are not usually eaten as you would eat a celery stalk. If you ever get celeriac with the tops still on, don’t throw them away! Their flavor can add depth to a pot of stock or soup.

Now for the root bulb. First, scrub the exterior of the root the best you can. Next, thinly slice away the top and bottom of the root so there is a flat side on the top and the bottom. You’ll probably need to take a little more off the bottom to get past the majority of the roots and get into the more usable bulb portion of the root. At this point, I usually cut the root in half or into quarters, so it is easier to handle. Using a paring knife, carefully trim away the outer skin. Once you’ve removed the outer skin, rinse the remaining piece of celeriac and clean your cutting board if there’s any residual dirt. The inner portion of the root is white, solid, and entirely edible.

Celeriac has a subtle celery flavor that provides a background to soups, stews, and root mashes. It also makes a delicious soup or gratin on its own or combined with potatoes or other root vegetables. It can also be eaten raw in salads and slaws paired with other fall fruits and vegetables. There is a classic French preparation called Celeriac Remoulade which is basically a creamy celeriac slaw. I like to make a slaw based on this concept, but add apples and fresh, chopped cranberries as well as parsley when available. I’ve also noticed more “paleo” recipes are encouraging the use of celeriac as a substitute for starchy potatoes, noodles, etc.

Celeriac stores quite well, thus it is an important part of our seasonal winter diets. It can actually be stored for up to 6 months! Keep it in your refrigerator loosely wrapped in plastic or in the crisper drawer until you are ready to use it.

Quick Celeriac Remoulade

Photo from bbcgoodfood.com

Yield: 4 servings

7 Tbsp good quality mayonnaise

3 Tbsp Dijon mustard

1 lemon, juice only

1 celeriac

In a large bowl, mix the mayonnaise, mustard and lemon juice together thoroughly with a generous sprinkling go salt and some freshly ground black pepper, so it all becomes one sauce.
Peel and quarter the celeriac, then, working quickly, coarsely grate it and stir into the sauce until evenly coated. It will keep in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Recipe borrowed from www.bbcgoodfood.com

Celery Root and Hash Brown Cake

Yield: 2 to 4 servings

1 pound potatoes

1 celeriac (about 12 ounces or more)

4 Tbsp sunflower seed oil, butter, or a mixture

2 large shallots or 1 yellow onion, finely diced

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

A few pinches of celery seeds

½ cup Gruyere cheese, Gouda, or a medium cheddar

Finely chopped celery leaves or parsley, to finish

Scrub the potatoes, and then peel them or not as you wish. Coarsely grate them on a hand grater or in a food processor, then peel and grate the celeriac as well.
Heat the oil and/or butter in a 10-or 12-inch nonstick or cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook for about 1 minute. Add the potatoes and celeriac and season with ¾ tsp salt, a few grinds of pepper, and the celery seeds. Stir to coat the vegetables with the oil, then let the mixture sit undisturbed for 5 minutes or so. Fold the browned and crisp outside into the center, then pat the mixture down again. Continue in this fashion, allowing the vegetables to brown and crisp before folding them together, until all are cooked and nicely browned, about 20 minutes. Now, pat the mixture into the pan one more time, forming a nice even cake, and cook a few minutes longer so that it develops a golden crust. Scatter the cheese over the surface and leave to melt into the cake.
Season with pepper and add the celery leaves or parsley. Cut the cake into wedges (or scoop it out of the pan) and serve.

Recipe sourced from Deborah Madison’s book, Vegetable Literacy.

Wednesday, September 21, 2022

September 22, 2022 - This Week's Box Contents Featuring Celeriac

Cooking With This Week's Box

Vegetable Feature: Celeriac

Quick Celeriac Remoulade

Celery Root and Hash Brown Cake

No comments: