Celeriac (celery root)?

[Mosca]

You know, I’ve never cooked this. And I don’t know what it tastes like. I’m pretty sure I’ve had it in a fancy salad at a fancy restaurant or dinner somewhere, but I couldn’t say where or when, nor that it made any impression on me. I do see it in the grocery store, so there are folks eating it on the regular.

I just watched Jamie Oliver roast a whole celeriac (he called it zombie brain) with salt & pepper, olive oil, garlic, fresh thyme, and bay leaves. He served it with mushrooms in a yellow mustard cream sauce, over barley. It looked really good, plus it looked like something that would roll from the oven to the smoker/kamado/pellet grill/kettle really easily.

Recipe found online:

https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetables/zombie-brain/

Do you love it? Hate it? Wonder about it? Never heard of it?

[JCBBQ]

I’ve used it from time to time. Mostly raw though. It’s not something that made a huge impression though bc I can’t remember the last time I used it.

[Murdy]

When we were doing keto, we'd blend it together with (I think) cauliflower too make a mashed potato substitute. Pretty good as I recall.

[SheilaAnn]

Murdy beat me to it. Mashed was the first thing that came to mind. Or a creamy soup. I’ve only had it a few times.

[Mister C]

Me 3. I feel like celeriac is like a cabbage, if you were roasting it whole the middle's going to be kind of blah no matter what you do to it on the outside. Hence people using it in soups so much. And man, his recipe is calling for a 2.5 lb chunk!

If I were trying this one I'd at least cut it in wedges so I could salt and maybe dress the inside. Be interested to see how it turns out though!

[Mister C]

EDIT: I just looked on Youtube to see if I could find a video of him doing this recipe. In the last year he's got a video with julienned celeriac in a cold salad, and another of potato and celeriac mash. Not advertising the zombie brain, far as the algorithm is telling me...

[ecowper]

Celery root is used pretty commonly in Hungarian cooking. it's a component in Gulyasleves ... Hungarian goulash ... for example.

[HouseHomey]

Celery root is fantastic. It’s ugly and dirty, but it is fantastic

there are the applications above and a purée being very popular either straight or mixed.

It has a mild earthy flavor. This is why you see it in raw applications as well.

The most common place I use it is in place of potatoes in a beef stew. It gives an amazing flavor to your stew.

Basically you use it like a potato. They uses are endless. I have soaked it in cream, poached it in cream, cooked and blended it and cream and put it through a siphon. It is really versatile.

Embrace the ugly. However, I wouldn’t pay more than a potato for it unless you have a specific use.

My favorite is in beef stew. Butter is also your friend.

hope this helps.

[Carolyn]

Good to know. I have wondered about it but had no clue what to do with it, so I never bothered to buy one.