Tis the season for celery root. Passed a pile at Verrill Farm last Sunday that looked untouched. Yes, they look a little intimidating on the outside but the root vegetable texture with the natural infusion of celery makes for fantastic flavor. I once made a root vegetable soup using turnips, celeriac and parsnips (with a wild mushroom sauté floater.) The flavor was fantastic. (As an aside, this was during an extravagant dinner that Bob and I made for ourselves on a “bachelor” weekend that ended up in the emergency room after an unfortunate oyster shucking incident… Never, I mean NEVER, attempt to shuck an oyster with a screwdriver and without hand protection.)

Back to the celeriac: I bought two and took them home to experiment. The question at hand: roasted or pureed? I think the answer is pureed.

I peeled both of them and cut them into approximately one inch cubes. One I tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper and roasted for about 30 – 35 minutes in a 375 degree oven. The other I boiled until fork tender and then pureed with butter, salt, pepper and a splash of white wine vinegar. To be fair, the roasted ones might have needed a bit more time. They weren’t as tender as I would have liked. That said, I still believe that the puree was the better option as the delicate celery flavor really stood out. The caramelization of the roasting overpowered it.

Any thoughts? Celery root is around – what are folks doing with it?