Thread: Cerlery Salad Query

Lou Decruss <[email protected]> wrote:

>We attended a cookout and the hostess served a celery root salad. I
>guess it's called celeriac. It was delicious. I've never had the
>root before. Louise wasn't paying much attention and I don't
>understand broken Polish so all I know is it had jarred celery root,
>mayo, hard boiled egg, radish, garlic and carrot. The jarred root is
>packed in water, salt, sugar and citric acid. Here's what it looks
>like.

>http://tastedeli.com/prod_desc_1078.html?sno=298

>I googled for Polish recipes and apples, tomatoes, potatoes, pickles,
>cream and other stuff come up and I know they weren't in this.

>So anyone got a proven celeriac recipe? Even if it's not Polish I'd
>like to see it. The stuff it awesome!

No recipe here, but it's good stuff. The typical celeriac salad I
have seen is very lightly dressed, and I don't think it was from
jarred celeriac. Yuppie groceries always had it in their deli
section 10 years ago but it seems to have fallen out of favor.

Steve

On Thu, 1 Jul 2010 03:20:31 +0000 (UTC), [email protected] (Steve
Pope) wrote:

>Lou Decruss <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>We attended a cookout and the hostess served a celery root salad. I
>>guess it's called celeriac. It was delicious. I've never had the
>>root before. Louise wasn't paying much attention and I don't
>>understand broken Polish so all I know is it had jarred celery root,
>>mayo, hard boiled egg, radish, garlic and carrot. The jarred root is
>>packed in water, salt, sugar and citric acid. Here's what it looks
>>like.

When someone mentions "Polish", I always reach for Strybl. Here's one
from Polish Heritage Cookery, paraphrased.

Peel one medium celeriac (Ed. don't buy very big ones as they tend to
be woody. Same for kohlrabis.) and cook in lightly salted water until
tender (or *slightly* crunchy). Cool in cold water, and dice fine.
Sprinkle with citric acid (think FruitFresh) or lemon juice to prevent
browning. Combine with one peeled diced apple and 1 diced dill pickle
(made by the vinegar method, not the fermented type) Sprinkle with
salt, pepper, and dress with a little mayo. Seerve on mounds, like
from an ice-cream scoop, on lettuse leaves, and if you like, top with
some ground up black walnuts.

The use of "jarred" celeriac is new to me. I wonder if they blanched
the root first. Crunchiness would be a clue. The jar liquid seems to
be salt water to preserve in the fridge, with sugar (got me there! I
would expect it if vinegar was involved, to take the edge off the
vinegar), and of course the citric acid is to hinder discoloration.
My guess is that it was not blanched. It doesn't need it anyway.

The Hard Boiled egg is a perfectly natural addition, IMHO. And I
personally would leave out the apple and the walnite, but add one
small (boiling) onion, pureed. I would also use white pepper, rather
than black. ANd, being who I am, I would put a drop of Tabasco or a
pinch of cayenne in for a little more zing. Others will point out that
Tabasco and Dill do not get along.

HTH

Alex

On Jun 30, 7:30*pm, Lou Decruss <LouDecr...@biteme.com> wrote:

>
> I googled for Polish recipes and apples, tomatoes, potatoes, pickles,
> cream and other stuff come up and I know they weren't in this.
>
> So anyone got a proven celeriac recipe? *Even if it's not Polish I'd
> like to see it. *The stuff it awesome!
>
> TIA,
>
> Lou *

found this Lou,

http://www.google.com/search?source=...AAAKoEBU_Qtt_n

Just checked Marja Ochorowicz-Monatowa's book Polish Cookery (Crown),
and she has two shots at the salad.

1) Boil in salted water, coo, dic, mix with chopped chives or minced
onion and freshh dill weed, S&P. Dress with EVOO and wine vinegar.

2) Peel the root and shred. Pare, core and shred apples (use
FruitFresh). Add S&P. Again dress with EVOO and wine vinegar, toss and
chill for maybe 4 hours before saving.

Another take is to take #2, but add mustard to the vinaigrette, serve
with tiny marinated or pickled mushrooms and side with gherkins or
cornichons.

You can probably come pretty close to duplicating the recipe from
these ideas.

Clever at cookery, those Poles! I can see going to Warsaw or Krakow on
a culinary tour, when I would not go to Edinburgh or Glasgow! And
SWMBO has Scottish ancestry!

Alex

On 6/30/2010 9:30 PM, Lou Decruss wrote:
> We attended a cookout and the hostess served a celery root salad. I
> guess it's called celeriac. It was delicious. I've never had the
> root before. Louise wasn't paying much attention and I don't
> understand broken Polish so all I know is it had jarred celery root,
> mayo, hard boiled egg, radish, garlic and carrot. The jarred root is
> packed in water, salt, sugar and citric acid. Here's what it looks
> like.
>

My mother made a salad out of chicken, celeriac, mandarin oranges and
onions (purple?), but I don't remember what else was in it. I'll ask
her though. Glad you liked it. Some people won't try anything new.
You get 3 snaps up.

Becca

Lou Decruss <[email protected]> wrote:

> So anyone got a proven celeriac recipe? Even if it's not Polish I'd
> like to see it. The stuff it awesome!

Here is a tried 'n' true French céleri rémoulade, a classic bistro dish.
The recipe is from _Bistro Cooking_ by Patricia Wells.

Victor


Céleri Rémoulade
Celery Root in Mustard Sauce

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons imported Dijon mustard or to taste
1 cup crème fraîche or heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 celery root (about 1 pound; 500 g)

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the lemon juice, mustard, crème
fraîche, and salt and pepper to taste; mix thoroughly. Taste and adjust
the seasoning.

2. Quarter the celery root and peel it. Grate coarsely, in a food
processor or on a Mouli grater. Immediately add it to the mustard sauce
and toss to coat. Season to taste. Serve as a first course.
Yield: 4 to 6 servings

On Thu, 1 Jul 2010 03:20:31 +0000 (UTC), [email protected] (Steve
Pope) wrote:

>Lou Decruss <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>We attended a cookout and the hostess served a celery root salad. I
>>guess it's called celeriac. It was delicious. I've never had the
>>root before. Louise wasn't paying much attention and I don't
>>understand broken Polish so all I know is it had jarred celery root,
>>mayo, hard boiled egg, radish, garlic and carrot. The jarred root is
>>packed in water, salt, sugar and citric acid. Here's what it looks
>>like.
>
>>http://tastedeli.com/prod_desc_1078.html?sno=298
>
>>I googled for Polish recipes and apples, tomatoes, potatoes, pickles,
>>cream and other stuff come up and I know they weren't in this.
>
>>So anyone got a proven celeriac recipe? Even if it's not Polish I'd
>>like to see it. The stuff it awesome!
>
>No recipe here, but it's good stuff. The typical celeriac salad I
>have seen is very lightly dressed, and I don't think it was from
>jarred celeriac. Yuppie groceries always had it in their deli
>section 10 years ago but it seems to have fallen out of favor.

Yuppie places around here don't have it because they must not know
what to do with it. I only see it in more ethnic places but never
knew what the hell it was. I'm glad I know now. I only tried a tiny
portion to see what it was and went back for a big pile. The meat was
overcooked so I loaded up on salads. It worked for me.

Lou

On Thu, 01 Jul 2010 12:18:35 -0500, Chemiker
<[email protected]> wrote:


>>Lou Decruss <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>>We attended a cookout and the hostess served a celery root salad. I
>>>guess it's called celeriac. It was delicious. I've never had the
>>>root before. Louise wasn't paying much attention and I don't
>>>understand broken Polish so all I know is it had jarred celery root,
>>>mayo, hard boiled egg, radish, garlic and carrot. The jarred root is
>>>packed in water, salt, sugar and citric acid. Here's what it looks
>>>like.
>
>When someone mentions "Polish", I always reach for Strybl. Here's one
>from Polish Heritage Cookery, paraphrased.
>
>Peel one medium celeriac (Ed. don't buy very big ones as they tend to
>be woody. Same for kohlrabis.) and cook in lightly salted water until
>tender (or *slightly* crunchy). Cool in cold water, and dice fine.
>Sprinkle with citric acid (think FruitFresh) or lemon juice to prevent
>browning. Combine with one peeled diced apple and 1 diced dill pickle
>(made by the vinegar method, not the fermented type) Sprinkle with
>salt, pepper, and dress with a little mayo. Seerve on mounds, like
>from an ice-cream scoop, on lettuse leaves, and if you like, top with
>some ground up black walnuts.
>
>The use of "jarred" celeriac is new to me. I wonder if they blanched
>the root first. Crunchiness would be a clue. The jar liquid seems to
>be salt water to preserve in the fridge, with sugar (got me there! I
>would expect it if vinegar was involved, to take the edge off the
>vinegar), and of course the citric acid is to hinder discoloration.
>My guess is that it was not blanched. It doesn't need it anyway.
>
>The Hard Boiled egg is a perfectly natural addition, IMHO. And I
>personally would leave out the apple and the walnite, but add one
>small (boiling) onion, pureed. I would also use white pepper, rather
>than black. ANd, being who I am, I would put a drop of Tabasco or a
>pinch of cayenne in for a little more zing. Others will point out that
>Tabasco and Dill do not get along.
>
>HTH

It does help. I made a folder and I'm collecting stuff. I put your
whole post in there. I don't think it was blanched because it was
nice and crunchy. I like the onion addition and agree with no apple
or nuts.

Thanks for the reply Alex.

Lou

On Thu, 01 Jul 2010 12:39:32 -0500, Chemiker
<[email protected]> wrote:

>Just checked Marja Ochorowicz-Monatowa's book Polish Cookery (Crown),
>and she has two shots at the salad.
>
>1) Boil in salted water, coo, dic, mix with chopped chives or minced
>onion and freshh dill weed, S&P. Dress with EVOO and wine vinegar.
>
>2) Peel the root and shred. Pare, core and shred apples (use
>FruitFresh). Add S&P. Again dress with EVOO and wine vinegar, toss and
>chill for maybe 4 hours before saving.
>
>Another take is to take #2, but add mustard to the vinaigrette, serve
>with tiny marinated or pickled mushrooms and side with gherkins or
>cornichons.
>
>You can probably come pretty close to duplicating the recipe from
>these ideas.
>
>Clever at cookery, those Poles! I can see going to Warsaw or Krakow on
>a culinary tour, when I would not go to Edinburgh or Glasgow! And
>SWMBO has Scottish ancestry!

Thanks again Alex. I added that to your other post. And you're
right. The Poles didn't have much but still made some good food. I
live with a Polak who's the first generation born in the states so
slowly I'm learning new things and happy to do so.

Lou

On Thu, 01 Jul 2010 15:23:05 -0500, Becca <[email protected]> wrote:

>On 6/30/2010 9:30 PM, Lou Decruss wrote:
>> We attended a cookout and the hostess served a celery root salad. I
>> guess it's called celeriac. It was delicious. I've never had the
>> root before. Louise wasn't paying much attention and I don't
>> understand broken Polish so all I know is it had jarred celery root,
>> mayo, hard boiled egg, radish, garlic and carrot. The jarred root is
>> packed in water, salt, sugar and citric acid. Here's what it looks
>> like.
>>
>
>My mother made a salad out of chicken, celeriac, mandarin oranges and
>onions (purple?), but I don't remember what else was in it. I'll ask
>her though.

Now that sounds very interesting. Maybe not with the chicken but as a
side. I did find a recipe using sausage. I guess that would be a
main dish.

> Glad you liked it.

I loved it. Can you tell? <g>

>Some people won't try anything new.
>You get 3 snaps up.

I'll try anything. Always have been that way. If I don't like it
I'll say so but there's not much I don't like except winter squash,
grits, cream of wheat, and oatmeal.

Lou

On Fri, 02 Jul 2010 15:53:02 -0500, Lou Decruss wrote:

> On Thu, 01 Jul 2010 12:39:32 -0500, Chemiker
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>Just checked Marja Ochorowicz-Monatowa's book Polish Cookery (Crown),
>>and she has two shots at the salad.
>>
>>1) Boil in salted water, coo, dic, mix with chopped chives or minced
>>onion and freshh dill weed, S&P. Dress with EVOO and wine vinegar.
>>
>>2) Peel the root and shred. Pare, core and shred apples (use
>>FruitFresh). Add S&P. Again dress with EVOO and wine vinegar, toss and
>>chill for maybe 4 hours before saving.
>>
>>Another take is to take #2, but add mustard to the vinaigrette, serve
>>with tiny marinated or pickled mushrooms and side with gherkins or
>>cornichons.
>>
>>You can probably come pretty close to duplicating the recipe from
>>these ideas.
>>
>>Clever at cookery, those Poles! I can see going to Warsaw or Krakow on
>>a culinary tour, when I would not go to Edinburgh or Glasgow! And
>>SWMBO has Scottish ancestry!
>
> Thanks again Alex. I added that to your other post. And you're
> right. The Poles didn't have much but still made some good food. I
> live with a Polak who's the first generation born in the states so
> slowly I'm learning new things and happy to do so.
>
> Lou

you could do a lot worse for food than with the poles.

your pal,
blake

On Sat, 3 Jul 2010 11:05:43 -0400, blake murphy
<[email protected]> wrote:

>On Fri, 02 Jul 2010 15:53:02 -0500, Lou Decruss wrote:

>>
>> Thanks again Alex. I added that to your other post. And you're
>> right. The Poles didn't have much but still made some good food. I
>> live with a Polak who's the first generation born in the states so
>> slowly I'm learning new things and happy to do so.
>>
>> Lou
>
>you could do a lot worse for food than with the poles.

I like the pastries I've had from the Polish deli because they're not
so sweet.

Lou

On Thu, 1 Jul 2010 23:01:11 +0200, [email protected] (Victor Sack)
wrote:

>Lou Decruss <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> So anyone got a proven celeriac recipe? Even if it's not Polish I'd
>> like to see it. The stuff it awesome!
>
>Here is a tried 'n' true French céleri rémoulade, a classic bistro dish.
>The recipe is from _Bistro Cooking_ by Patricia Wells.
>
>Victor

Thanks Victor. That's very different but looks excellent. It's
simplicity might make it the first one I try.

Lou