Underneath the surface – Celeriac apple slaw

It wasn’t love at first sight. How could you fall in a love with a grey/brown bumpy ball? Aesthetics is not quite the strength of the celeriac (aka celery root). I would go as far as to say it’s the most unattractive root I’ve seen.
And probably there are a lot of people that are put off by this strange looking something that easily gets overlooked beneath beauties like the sophisticated cauliflower or the colourful paprika…

There is a lot that escapes to them.

If we overcome our own superficiality, if we take the time and look closer, look behind the surface that seams so obvious, if we cut off the rough skin, then we can discover the secret that lays beneath: A fresh luscious white vegetable full of flavour due to a lot of essential oils. (Not without cause it is used to create a flavourful stock).

My favourite way to enjoy celeriac is in this simple slaw (obviously an adaption of the classic “Waldorf salad”), together with some fresh and tart apple and lemon juice, topped with chopped walnuts for an umami boost – this is my winter salad!
It is easily prepared in a larger batch and kept in the fridge for a few days. Colourwise it will naturally loose with time, but the flavour is getting even better.

Celeriac apple slaw

ingredients
1 small celeriac, 1 green sour apple, juice of 1 lemon, 1 tablespoon sour cream, about 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts, salt, pepper

preparation
Roughly grate celeriac and apple or cut into thin julienne (I made use of my new food processor for the first time). Mix with lemon juice for seasoning and to avoid the ingredients to go brown. Stir in sour cream and season to taste with salt and pepper. Top with chopped walnuts before serving.