About the Recipe
In my opinion celeriac (or celery root) is one of the best smelling vegetables there is. The smell is fresh, slightly sweet and herby. Obviously close to celery, but a bit earthier with a distinct nuttiness to it. I love celeriac because it can be used for so many different types of recipes, in so many different ways. You can eat it raw, you can cook it, steam it, roast it, cube it, mash it and purée it. Any which way you prepare it, it is delicious and will bring fresh flavor to your dish.
Celery remoulade has always been one of my all time favorite salads. It is crunchy yet saucy, creamy yet not heavy and is one of those salads that just gets better and more flavorful over time. Prepare it a day ahead and it will be even better the following day.
The one thing about plain celery remoulade is that the color is nothing to shout about. It is a bland creamy white with a bland creamy white dressing. Nothing much going for it except for the flavor. I wanted to brighten it up a bit hence adding the beautiful orange of the carrots, the vibrant fresh green of the parsley and the pop of red from the pomegranate. The sweet juicy flavor of the apple works so nicely with the crisp nutty flavor of the celeriac. The salad is brought together by the fresh creamy lemon vinaigrette.
The perfect salad to prepare ahead of time. Whether it is for a pot-luck, special occasion, or simply for the week ahead. It is a salad that you make a day or two before and let the tastes tango! Once you are ready to serve, get ready for a full flavor explosion!
Ingredients
Salad:
1 Celeriac
1 Large Carrot (2 small)
1 Bunch of Flat Leaf Parsley (1-2 cups)
1 Apple (Julienned)
1 cup Pomegranate Arils
1 Lemon (juiced)
Vinaigrette:
3 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
6 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 1/2 Wholegrain Mustard
1 Lemon (juiced)
1/3 cup Cream
Salt and Pepper to taste
Preparation
Start by peeling your celeriac. I find it easiest to use a regular carrot peeler rather than a knife. Although, cutting the rough root end off with a knife may give you a smoother surface to start with and make the entire peel a little bit easier. Celery root can be a bit tricky because of all the bumps and crevices, but if you can get a good grip on it, and use a good peeler the skin itself is not that tough to get off.
Next, cut it in half (or quarter if you prefer) and use a grater with a medium sized grate to shred the celeriac down. Work slowly and carefully! I have only too often gone a little too quickly and almost included my fingers.
Transfer your shredded celeriac to a large bowl. Juice the lemon and add the juice to the celeriac. Toss well. This will keep the celeriac from browning as you work through the next steps.
Peel and grate your carrot. Roughly chop your parsley leaves and stems and julienne your apple. If you find it easier to grate your apple instead, you can do that too. I leave the skin on the apple as, it makes for less work and I like the extra color. Add everything to the bowl of celeriac and toss well.
Next, prepare the vinegrette. I like to use an old jam jar when preparing my vinaigrettes, as I can pop the lid back on and give it a good shake and make sure everything is well mixed. You can also use a small bowl instead. Either way, I prefer to prepare the dressing separately as you can then more easily adjust the flavoring if need be as well as the quantity added to the salad.
Add all ingredients and mix well. Some of you may be hesitant about the cream and lemon mixture. Trust me, it is all good. The fat in the cream keeps it from curdling. Instead, the cream thickens. Which is what will give this salad a light creamy dressing.
Add your vinaigrette to the salad and toss well. Remove seeds from Pomegranate and toss into the salad. Now you've got a beautiful, healthy, crunchy good-for-you salad.
Bon appetit!
