In the winter, I’m always on the look for a nice plump celeriac (also known as celery root), but too often I find small ones, that are only suitable for flavoring vegetable soups and don’t have enough substance to be cooked on their own. This week I finally got lucky and found one that I could use to make one of my favorite soups – celeriac and apple.
In fact, the root was even too big for the portion of soup I had in mind, so I ended up using the leftover shredded celeriac and apples, to create a tasty Waldorf-style salad. As I’ve used the food processor to shred the celeriac and apples, both dishes were easy and quick to prepare. Just what I was looking for. Try both and and enjoy.
Notes:
* For easier peeling, cut the celeriac into sections, then peel each section with a sharp knife.
* In order not to mask the unique flavor of the celeriac, I used only a small amount of spices.
* The soup can be served as is, or with some bold flavor toppings, such as the blue cheese shown here, or any other sharp cheeses. Heavy cream or sour cream are also wonderful additions to the soup.
* Other toppings I recommend are: celery leaves, diced apples, chopped crispy bacon, roasted slivered almonds and homemade bread croutons.
* The salad is wonderful on its own, or as a side dish for roasted meats.
Makes: 6
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
For the soup:
½ stick (55 grams) butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 tsp salt
½ tsp freshly ground 4 pepper mix
5 cups water
4 cups shredded celeriac
1 cup shredded peeled Granny Smith apple
¼ tsp freshly ground nutmeg
1 Tbs honey
1 tsp Dijon mustard
For serving options: see notes
1. For easier peeling, cut the celeriac into sections, then peel each section with a sharp knife. Shred in a food processor and measure 4 cups. Set aside.
2. In a medium pot, mix the butter, onion, salt and pepper. Sauté on medium-high heat, until the onion is soft. Add the water and the shredded celeriac and apple. Mix and bring to the boil. Lower the heat to medium-low and cook for 20 minutes, mixing occasionally.
3. Add the add the nutmeg, honey and mustard, mix and continue cooking for 5-10 minutes longer, until the celeriac is very soft. Take off the heat and puree with a hand blender. Mix and adjust seasoning before serving.
For the salad:
2 cups shredded celeriac
1 cup shredded peeled Granny Smith apple
1/3 cup good quality mayonnaise
1 tsp salt
½ tsp freshly ground 4 pepper mix
1 tsp sugar
1 Tbs fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
In a medium bowl, mix all the ingredients. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Let sit at room temperature for half an hour before serving. The salad can keep, in an airtight container in the fridge, for up to 3 days.
I am sort of ashamed to admit it but have never cooked with celeriac, I’ve had it before and love it. This soup really sounds amazing, fresh and simple and I am a sucker for pureéd soup. Lovely!!
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Thank you Suzanne, I’m glad you liked the recipes.
If you like a subtle celery flavor, combined with silky texture, then you’ll love celeriac. It is so versatile and tasty. Well worth trying! 🙂
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Have never tried celeriac, but you’re always an inspiration to try new things!
Virtual hugs,
Judie
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Thank you Judie, I’m glad to hear!
I think you’ll love celeriac once you’ll try it. I love the subtle celery flavor and the silky texture it has. Besides using it as the main ingredient, as I’ve done here, it is also a great addition to any soup. Well worth looking for. 🙂
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Both soup and salad look so delicious!
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Thank you Greg, I’m glad you liked the recipes. Celeriac is such a tasty root! 🙂
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Yes, I like celeriac. I don’t see it often in the stores.
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Yes, for some reason it’s not easy to find a nice plump one like the one I’ve found.
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Celeriac – apple soup what an interesting combination, sounds tasty!
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Thank you Krešo, I’m glad you liked the idea. It is a very tasty combination. Well worth trying. 🙂
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I’ve seen celeriac before, but never ventured forth to buy it. The soup sounds very comforting to me.
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For some reason it is more popular in Europe than it is in the US. If you find a nice one, I highly recommend giving it a try. It’s great in soups and broths and also on its own. 🙂
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RE: Silky texture . . . do you need to whiz it to make it silky? What is it like as just itself? Soups rule, but we like ’em chunky. My immersible whizzer has been pushed waaaaay to the back of the cabinet from disuse.
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The cooked celeriac is very tender and silky even without pureeing.
Check the following link to see how it looks when cooked by itself. The transformation of texture is quite incredible.
https://ronitpenso.wordpress.com/2014/09/14/sweet-and-sour-celeriac-sephardic-style/
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Oh, right – I remember reading that and being intrigued at the time. That was back in 2014, and there has been a bit of an uptick in more “sophisticated” and organic foods available here now, so maybe a diligent search will turn some up for me. I’ll make a note to remind me for next shopping adventure.
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Hope you’ll be able to find it. 🙂
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Sounds divine – I have to try it! Thank you, Ronit!
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Thank you Dolly, I’m glad you liked the recipes. I hope you’ll enjoy them as well. I’ll be happy to have your comments. 🙂
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I’ll try to find celeriac and make it, then report back to you.
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Hope you’ll be able to. It’s such a wonderful root. So tasty and versatile. 🙂
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And all I’ve ever done with it is slice and pickle… I have to become more versatile!
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That’s why we read food blogs! 🙂
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Correction: that’s why we read good food blogs! 🙂
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You have a point! 🙂
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I might have a point, but you have a great blog!
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Thank you! 🙂
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The truth and only the truth…
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🙂
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Still summer here, Ronit. But won’t be long before I’m looking for something nourishing and hot. Is celeriac a stronger celery flavor?
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Time indeed flies quickly…
As for the celeriac, it has a subtle celery flavor, less pronounced then regular celery, and completely different texture. I think it’s worth trying. 🙂
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That looks like a lovely soup. I had celeriac before, but have never cooked with it. I think this would be a great recipe to try though. Just need to find it!
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Thank you Rini, I’m glad you liked the recipe. I hope you’ll be able to find celeriac and enjoy it. 🙂
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Celeriac? Completely new to me. Tastes like fennel bulb? Both look so good that I’d like to try!!
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Thank you, I’m glad you liked both recipes. Celeriac doesn’t taste like fennel. It has a subtle celery flavor, while the texture is completely different. If you’ll be able to find it, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. 🙂
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Very curious…. I’ll try when I come across!
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This sounds fantastic. I’m loving the apple in the soup. I have to try that. I love celeriac but usually eat it as a side. Thanks Ronit.
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Thank you Myra, I’m glad you liked the idea. I love the combination of celery and apples in salads, but it’s also great in soups, such as this one. Hope you’ll enjoy it as well. 🙂
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Would you believe I have never cooked with celeriac. Combined with apples I am sure it made a wonderful soup, especially with your creative talent in the kitchen.
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Thank you Judi! I’m glad I was able to introduce a new ingredient. Celeriac is so versatile and adds lots of flavor to many dishes, and it pairs wonderfully with apples. Well worth looking for! 🙂
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We`ve been looking for a simple celeriac soup recipe! Love that you have combined it with apples here. A must try! Thank you!
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Thank you Annika, I’m glad you’ve found what you were looking for in this recipe. It is quick and easy to prepare, yet full of flavors and has a wonderful texture. I hope you’ll enjoy it as well. 🙂
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Lovely Ronit,
I used a celeriac last night in a celeriac and parsnip purée. It was wonderful. The match with apple is inspired.
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Thank you Conor, I’m glad you liked the idea. Celeriac and parsnip puree sounds great! Pairing celeriac with apples is one of my favorites. I hope you’ll enjoy it as well. 🙂
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It is now on my list.
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I have to admit that I’ve never tasted celeriac and have always wondered what it was like. I love the look and sound of this soup😊
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Thank you Marisa, I’m glad you find it interesting. I quite sure you’ll enjoy celeriac once you’ll try it. A shame it’s not that easy to get good ones. 🙂
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Both recipes look lovely! We have celeriac here now at the store, but it’s always very expensi ve! I’ve not tried cooking with it, but now I’m inspired to!
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Thank you Mollie, I’m glad you liked the recipes. I’m quite lucky to get reasonably priced celeriac, but it’s important to remember that even if it looks pricey, one yields quite a lot. 🙂
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Sooo true!!! 🙂
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What a funky dish!
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Celeriac is indeed quite a funky root! Well worth trying. 🙂
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Wow wonderful!
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Thank you Lynn! 🙂
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This looks so pretty and yummy…i would have never thought to make something like this!
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Thank you Lilieann, I’m glad you liked the recipe. Celeriac and apple is a bit unusual combination, but it works so well. Well worth trying! 🙂
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Is celeriac only available in the winter?
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Celeriac is available year round, but it is at its best in the winter, when you can get bigger roots, as the one shown here. Hope you’ll find and enjoy it. 🙂
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I see, thank you for the clarification!
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My pleasure. 🙂
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I love celeriac. It’s low in calories and has a lot of phosphorus in it. This recipe seems like an easy thing to do. I’ll try it for sure!
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Thank you Magda, I’m glad you liked the recipe. I agree about celeriac, it’s so nutritious and tasty. I hope you’ll enjoy the dish. I’ll be happy to hear your comments. 🙂
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Ronit,
I have not cooked with celeriac before but seeing both these delicious recipes, want to go out get it now!
Love the combination of flavors in both the soup and the salad
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Thank you Sandhya, I’m glad you liked the recipes and that I was able to introduce you to a new ingredient. I think that once you’ll try celeriac, you’ll get hooked. It’s really a wonderful root, well worth looking for. 🙂
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Loved the combination of celeriac and apple Ronit. The subtlety of the other ingredients had to have given this soup an amazing flavor. Nothing quite like a pureed soup either, love all that I see in it 🙂
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Thank you Loretta, I’m glad you liked the recipes. I felt that the “less is more” approach was the best here, and it worked very well. 🙂
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I have never seen apples in soup before. Looks great!
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Apples add lots of flavor to soups. On top of celeriac, I also like to add them to pumpkin or butternut squash soups. Worth trying! 🙂
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Yes! Sounds great!
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Your interpretation of Waldorf Salad sounds delightful. I like how you updated the traditional recipe by substituting celeriac for celery, and dried cranberries for raisins.
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Thank you Sheryl, I’m glad you liked this version. I do love Waldorf salad with celery, but as I had some celeriac leftover I thought it could work well, and it did. 🙂
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love love this recipe!!!
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Thank you Ish! 🙂
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I need to try this combination of celeriac with apple. To tell you the truth I have never used celeriac much. The one time I used it I felt the flavor was too overpowering. Also the smell.Something tells me I should try your recipe, Chef Ronit:)
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Thank you Indu, I’m glad you liked the recipe and hope you’ll enjoy the results. The apples balance the celeriac, so hopefully you’ll have a better experience with it. 🙂
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What a great idea for a soup! 🙂
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Thank you Lucy, I’m glad you liked the recipe. 🙂
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