Of all the vegetables in the garden, celeriac is one of my favourites.
Despite being hard to find and sometimes even more difficult to grow, obtaining this magnificent, warty specimen never fails to capture my imagination.
Celeriac is a variety of celery and like celery, belongs to the parsley family.
It is grown for its bulbous, turnip-like root, which is, in reality, a large corm - a swollen stem - that is covered with knobbly green-brown skin and a tangle of gnarly roots, topped with fibrous stalks and leaves.
It's easy to dismiss celeriac as one ugly vegetable! One reason celeriac is sometimes hard to find is that many people find it challenging to cultivate and the long growing season of up to 200 days also puts many commercial growers off.
Despite this, seeds are widely available and are definitely the cheapest way of getting your crop started.
The best tips we've picked up are to plant seeds in trays in early spring and then transplant the established seedlings into moist, fertile soil, ensuring that they are well watered.
Celeriac loathes weeds and simply cannot compete with them, so planting it in well-weeded soil and regularly maintaining the site is vital.
Removing a little soil from the top of the plant once it begins to mature will also promote and trigger bulb growth.
The challenges of growing celeriac are well worth the effort when it comes time to harvest - with the only question remaining how best to eat them.
Raw celeriac has a wonderful crunch with a mild aroma of celery, so grated or finely sliced celeriac adds a delicious new dimension to winter salads. When cooked, the flavour of celeriac becomes more refined and delicate, with almost a slight nuttiness.
Fantastic as a puree served with roast meat or game, in many dishes celeriac can be substituted for potatoes, making this interesting plant a very versatile vegetable indeed.
A simple celeriac soup with just three ingredients brings out the true flavour of this amazing vegetable.
Celeriac dauphinois is a perfect winter comfort and simple smashed celeriac makes the most of its unique, earthy flavour.
So whether you are lucky enough to spot them at a farmers market or have managed to grow a crop yourself, treat yourself to one of nature's true labours of love that proves the theory that beauty is more than just skin deep.
Celeriac dauphinois with rib-eye of beef and wilted greens
Serves 4
800g celeriac, peeled and thinly sliced
500ml cream
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 tsp fresh nutmeg, ground
salt and pepper
4x250g rib-eye of beef (2.5cm thick)
400g mixed greens (ruby chard, silver beet, cos lettuce or spinach)
50ml quality olive oil
Place cream, garlic and nutmeg into a heavy-based saucepan and bring to the boil.
Simmer for 3 minutes to reduce mixture slightly and remove from heat.
In an ovenproof baking dish, layer sliced celeriac evenly, pour over the boiled cream and cover with tinfoil.
Place into a 200degC oven and bake for 30 minutes or until celeriac is tender.
Test with a sharp knife as you would potatoes.
Remove foil and cook for a further 5 to 8 minutes to colour a golden brown.
Allow to cool slightly before serving.
Season beef and sear in a very hot frying pan with half the olive oil - about 2 minutes on each side for medium rare.
Remove from pan and allow to rest for 5 to 6 minutes.
Meanwhile, saute greens in a large heavy-based saucepan with remaining olive oil and serve immediately with celeriac dauphinois and rested beef.
If required, rested beef can be returned to a hot pan for a quick reheat - 30 seconds each side.
Celeriac soup with new-season olive oil
Serves 6
1.5 kg celeriac, peeled and cubed
2lt milk
300ml cream
salt and pepper to season
new-season olive oil
1 loaf ciabatta, sliced and toasted
Place celeriac into a heavy-based pot and cover with milk.
Place a piece of baking paper over the milk in the pot creating a cartouche - a technique used to stop the milk from forming a skin.
Slowly bring to a simmer and cook for 10 to15 minutes or until tender.
Strain celeriac and reserve liquid.
Meanwhile, bring the cream to the boil in another pot.
Liquidise celeriac in a blender until smooth and add boiled cream.
Finally, add half the reserved cooking liquid and season with salt and pepper.
Divide between bowls and drizzle with new-season olive oil and serve with toasted ciabatta.
Smashed celeriac with roast pork fillet and cavolo nero
Serves 4
800g celeriac, peeled and cubed
120ml quality olive oil
1 1/2 Tbsp thyme, finely chopped
salt and pepper
600g pork fillet, sinew removed
300g cavolo nero, stalks removed and quickly blanched in boiling, salted water
In a large heavy-based saucepan add 100ml olive oil, celeriac and thyme and cook over a medium heat until the celeriac starts to lightly catch and break down in the pan.
Using a wooden spoon, work off any celeriac stuck to the bottom of the pan.
If necessary, turn the heat down and continue to cook until celeriac is soft and completely smashed.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Season pork fillets and seal all sides in a hot, heavy-based ovenproof saucepan with remaining olive oil.
Place saucepan into a 200degC oven and cook pork for five minutes.
Remove from oven and allow to rest in the saucepan.
Avoid overcooking the pork as fillet can dry out.
A little pink is fine.
Slice and serve with smashed celeriac and cavolo nero.
Bevan and Monique Smith own Riverstone Kitchen, supreme winner of the Cuisine NZ Restaurant of the Year 2010.
Situated on SH1 in North Otago, just south of the Waitaki Bridge, they are open Thursday-Monday from 9am-5pm, and also from 6pm from Thursday to Sunday, but closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays. www.riverstonekitchen.co.nz
