The flavor of celeriac (celery root) is difficult to describe: It’s decidedly celerylike, but also is slightly nutty, with very faint licorice undertones. Cooking celeriac in milk helps preserve its color—in fact, as you peel the celeriac, dropping it into the milk will keep it from discoloring. The small amount of rice cooked with the root makes a very light, creamy puree.
- 2 cups low-fat (1%) milk
- 1½ pounds celeriac, peeled, halved, and thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons uncooked long-grain rice
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
- ½ teaspoon salt
- In a medium saucepan, combine the milk, celeriac, rice, garlic, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat.
- Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook until the celeriac is very tender, about 20 minutes. (The milk will look curdled, but don’t worry, it will smooth out again once the mixture is pureed.)
- Strain the celeriac, garlic, and rice, reserving the cooking liquid. Add the solids to a food processor. With the processor running, gradually add the cooking liquid until the mixture is the consistency of creamy mashed potatoes. You may not need all of the cooking liquid (discard what you don’t use).
Makes 4 servings; per serving: 135 calories, 2g total fat (<1g saturated), 5mg cholesterol, 3g dietary fiber, 25g carbohydrate, 7g protein, 495mg sodium.
From The Wellness Kitchen
