{recipe} Celery Root & Cauliflower Puree

Eating seasonally in the winter can be tough, because while I can easily eat my body weight in citrus fruits, the vegetables can be less exciting. That is, of course, if you ignore all of the gnarly roots like rutabagas, turnips, and celery root. But don’t ignore those: with the right preparation and enough butter, they can be really delicious. To wit, I present a near-perfect winter side dish: a creamy puree of celery root, cauliflower, creme fraiche, and butter.

Do you ever see these things in the store and think “what the hell is that? And how do you eat it?” This is the unattractive and underloved celery root, which is the root of the celery plant. It kind of tastes like celery, but better and with a completely different texture. Once you peel away all the knobbly Hobbit-y bits you get a white, starchy root vegetable that looks like a potato.

The celery flavor goes really well with a hearty, saucy beef or pork dish, like short ribs or pork stew.

Recipe: Celery Root and Cauliflower Puree
serves 6-8

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 whole celery roots, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 head cauliflower, leaves trimmed, roughly chopped
• 4-6 Tblsp butter
• 1/2 cup creme fraiche

METHOD:

• Put vegetables into a pot of salted water. Bring to a boil then cook about 15 minutes, until celery root is tender when you stick a knife in.
• Drain vegetables and put them in a food processor or food mill. Add butter, creme fraiche, and salt and pepper to taste, and process or mill until smooth.
• Serve immediately.