My latest CSA box from Full Circle Farm included beets and celery root. Although I prepare them a variety of ways, seeing fresh beets in pristine condition always brings to mind two of my favorite foods: oven-roasted beets and skordalia (pronounced skor-thal-YAH), an intensely flavored Greek garlic spread. The sweetness of roasted beets and the piquancy of skordalia make one of those perfect food combinations in which each flavor improves and completes the other.
Skordalia typically uses pureed bread, potatoes, or nuts as the vehicle for carrying garlic to the palate. The juxtaposition of beets and celery roots in the CSA box started me thinking about basing skordalia on celery root instead of the more traditional starches. Celery root’s subtle flavor, with hints of both celery and parsley, seemed as if it would combine perfectly with garlic. Two root crops, served together at the peak of their season, appealed to my sense of seasonality.
Celery root skordalia turned out just as I imagined: delicious and a terrific accompaniment for roasted beets. In addition to the pungent taste of garlic that is the hallmark of correctly prepared skordalia, the herby flavors of celery root added complexity and interest to one of my favorite dishes. Yesterday my skordalia was made only with celery root; it would also be good had I used a combination of celery root and pureed potatoes.
One of the challenges celery root presents for the cook is that it is not uniformly shaped, and can look like a misshapen ball of tangled roots. Many people avoid buying celery root because they are not sure how to reach the edible portion of the vegetable. If you are one of those people, don’t worry, prepping celery root is easy.
Here’s how to do it:
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Skordalia typically uses pureed bread, potatoes, or nuts as the vehicle for carrying garlic to the palate. The juxtaposition of beets and celery roots in the CSA box started me thinking about basing skordalia on celery root instead of the more traditional starches. Celery root’s subtle flavor, with hints of both celery and parsley, seemed as if it would combine perfectly with garlic. Two root crops, served together at the peak of their season, appealed to my sense of seasonality.
Celery root skordalia turned out just as I imagined: delicious and a terrific accompaniment for roasted beets. In addition to the pungent taste of garlic that is the hallmark of correctly prepared skordalia, the herby flavors of celery root added complexity and interest to one of my favorite dishes. Yesterday my skordalia was made only with celery root; it would also be good had I used a combination of celery root and pureed potatoes.
One of the challenges celery root presents for the cook is that it is not uniformly shaped, and can look like a misshapen ball of tangled roots. Many people avoid buying celery root because they are not sure how to reach the edible portion of the vegetable. If you are one of those people, don’t worry, prepping celery root is easy.Here’s how to do it:
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