Turkish-style celeriac (celery root)
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 25-30 minutes
Keywords: side vegetarian vegan gluten-free soy-free sugar-free celeriac carrot potato onion olive oil
Ingredients (serves 3-4)
- 10 ounces / 280 grams celeriac (set aside the leaves, if present)
- 1/3 cup / 80 ml freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1 tablespoon / 15 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 3 ounces / 85 grams carrots
- 3 ounces / 85 grams small potatoes
- 2 ounces / 56 grams onion or shallot
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons / 45 ml extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup / 120 ml water
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped celeriac leaves, or lovage leaves, or a mix with fennel frond or fresh dill
Instructions
Peel the celeriac and cut it into small chunks. Put the sliced celeriac into a saucepan and drizzle the orange and lemon juice on top (to prevent darkening while you prepare the other ingredients).
Scrub the carrots well and scrape the surface with a blade to remove a thin layer of skin. Cut the carrots into 1/4-inch / 6 mm-thick oblique slices, turning the carrot as you cut, to obtain small chunks. Distribute the carrots on top of the celeriac in the saucepan.
Scrub the potatoes and cut them into small cubes. Distribute the potatoes on top of the carrots in the saucepan.
Peel and quarter the onion. Cut each quarter into 1/8-inch / 3 mm-thick slices and separate the rings. Distribute the onion over the potatoes in the saucepan.
Sprinkle the black pepper on top of the vegetables, then drizzle the olive oil. Finally, pour the water over the vegetables.
Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then turn to low, cover the saucepan and let the vegetables simmer until they are all tender (25 minutes or so), stirring a couple of times (and making sure there is enough liquid). Sprinkle the salt and minced herbs and stir well. Let the vegetable cool down in the saucepan, where the cooking liquid has turned into a citrusy sauce. Serve warm or a room temperature.
Note: in my latest rendition, I omitted the salt and instead added at the end 1 teaspoon of chickpea miso diluted in some of the hot vegetable cooking liquid.
This is a side dish with a robust flavor and I prefer to eat a smaller portion and serve also another vegetable side dish to complement it.
