Veggie Highlight: Celeriac
By: Riley Box, Customer Service Manager
Most people have no idea what to do with celeriac, it looks unattractive compared to other vegetables and is commonly overlooked. Actually, celeriac is a very versatile, and can be used in numerous ways; mash it, fry it, bake it, roast it, make a soup of it, raw in salads. Celeriac is a celery root, which is the winter version of celery. It’s a starchy vegetable similar to potatoes, with a brown hair exterior. So try something new this week, and make celeriac a part of your diet!
Cheesy Leek and Celeriac-Potato Gratin
To make vegan use vegan butter and cheese
Ingredients:
- 1.1lbs. waxy potatoes, cut into ½ inch chunks
- 1 head of celeriac, peeled and chopped into ½ inch chunks
- 3 leeks, washed and sliced into ½ inch medallions
- 1.76 oz cheese (optional)
- 1 tsp butter + extra for greasing
- 4-5 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 2 cups milk (can be soy)
- 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
- 1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp dried sage
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 356ºF
- Boil the potatoes, leeks and celeriac for 10 minutes in a large heavy-bottomed pot, then drain.
- If it is ovenproof, you may use the same pot to bake the vegetables in the oven. In that case, grease it with some butter. Set aside for now.
- To prepare the sauce, place a small saucepan over medium heat. Melt 1 tsp butter and lightly fry to garlic. Throw in the herbs and nutmeg then pour in the milk, all the while stirring continuously. Finally add in 4 tbsp of nutritional yeast. Keep stirring while the sauce reduces; you will need to simmer the sauce for about fifteen minutes. Take off the heat.
- Place the boiled vegetables in the greased heavy-bottomed dish, cover with the sauce, sprinkle over the breadcrumbs and 1 tbsp nutritional yeast, then bake for 30 minutes. If you wish to incorporate cheese cubes, stir them in with the vegetables.
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