The Roots

Vegetables. They make up, or at least should make up, the majority of the human diet. However, the American dinner table picks favorites these days. Broccoli, in all its glory, sure thing. Corn and peas, certainly. Definitely the usually frozen, chopped spinach and, for some more adventurous families, asparagus. But, contrary to popular belief, there are many more highly edible vegetables that we pass by in the grocery store or farmer's market.

I read an article by Molly Wizenberg in Bon appetit the other day about the winter doldrums as well as how to beat it with some overlooked, great winter vegetables. The main focus of the article was the celery root, or celeriac, a root vegetable that Molly Wizenberg tells me bears a wonderfully fresh taste similar to the more common celery found in chicken salads and vegetable soups. So, I went to my local grocery store and, somewhere lodged between the rutabaga and leafy kale, I found it: a rotund, moldy-looking cabbage with short, green stalks sprouting from the crown. And I immediately asked myself how and with what does one get into this armed prison of thick, rough skin. Even with my doubts, I took it home and tackled it with my paring knife.

What I found was, as Molly informed me, a beautiful, beautiful soul.

Somewhere between the taste of celery and the hearty texture of new potatoes, the celery root made for a great addition to my vegetable repertoire. It has some nutty and almost sweet undertones which pairs well with sweet fruits, nuts and cheeses such as gorgonzola or blue cheese. So I took a recipe that Molly suggested and changed it a bit.

*I took the celery root and, after peeling, I cut it into long, thin strips, about 3 inches long. Then did the same to 3 washed, firm Anjou pears. I think that the colors look nice when mixed loosely together. Then I made a simple dressing with: 2 Tbs. olive oil, 2 Tbs. white wine vinegar, 2 tsp. crushed fennel seed, 1/4 tsp. of nutmeg, 1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice and some good pinches (to taste) of fresh ground black pepper and kosher salt. I whisked this together and poured it over the mixed pears and celeriac. Then I put a good amount of gorgonzola cheese on the salad and loosely mixed it all together to make Ta Da! a bangin' winter salad.

It was complex, nutty and slightly sweet, proving to me that, although beautiful bunches of spinach and broccoli can make the meal, sometimes the roots are where it's at. And can be a wonderful addition to any Wednesday night.