Celery Root Puree | A Celery Fanfare

We. Heart. Spring. And the new ranunculus garden. !!!!! Here’s a few Springtime at the RGB photos:

Little fern leaves… uncurling their way into April.

Anyone have any idea what this is? It’s lived here longer than we have; we have no clue what it is, but it’s beautiful!

Diana Princess of Wales rose; another long-time RGB resident.

A ruffled peach daffodil by the mailbox. We didn’t plant this, either… but it’s official; we LOVE the people who used to live here!

A stray fennel near a pathway. We dug it up and moved it to another part of the yard. Also, one of the last photos ever taken with the Canon PowerShot SD790 IS. The camera fell off the top of our moving car back in the autumn (yeah, I know, it was me that left it there), but we managed to keep it taped together and used it until this weekend. R.I.P. camera, you were great and we’ll miss you!

Did you know we had a birdhouse on our property?!?!?!?! I just saw this for the first time over the weekend while eating breakfast on the patio. According to Barry, “it’s been here the whole time; where were you?” I dunno… Where was I??

Also, first picture with new camera, a Nikon CoolPix S570. Not sure I like it as much, but it does the job, and it was FREE, courtesy of pops (who couldn’t resist buying a “spare digital camera” on Black Friday last year). Someday, we’ll be like the big kids and get a DSLR.

For more photos of the RGB garden, take a look at our new garden photo-journal.

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OK, moving on. Today’s RGB theme is…. celery!

We were at Marché Moderne in Costa Mesa, CA, recently for one of Barry’s birthday dinners. (Can you believe this place is inside a mall?!?!?!? Best mall-dining I’ve ever had. Period.) My main course was a trio of halibut cheeks over a lemon risotto with celery leaves.  Best part of the dish. Halibut cheeks were ok, too.

Celery leaves, the chartreuse little ones in the center of the stalk, is officially my RGB trend for the season. It’s going to be in EVERYTHING, I love it so.

So in keeping with today’s celery theme, we’re pairing a celery garden salad with a celery root puree. Lunch comes courtesy of some speckled and red leaf lettuce in the garden that’s ready for plucking, as well as some mizuna lettuce that just started to bolt. If we didn’t use ‘em up soon, they’d be goners; it’s getting much too warm for lettuce!

 Specked and red leaf lettuce,with some mizuna.

The celery root puree is an an absolute RGB-original, inspired by a bowl we shared at a little bistro in Santa Barbara while in town one year for a business retreat.

Lunch in the backyard with a view of the ranunculus garden and a freshly mowed lawn. Welcome to our paradise! [K]

 Our lunch and dinner table, from mid-March to early December. Small table bouquet of ranunculus, courtesy of the garden.

Celery root puree, garnished here with crème fraîche, lovage and celery leaves.

Click here to view a printable version of this recipe. 

Celery Root Puree

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~ Serves ~

4

~ Ingredients ~

• 1 medium celery root (approx. 1 lb.)
• 1 medium to large brown onion
• 1 medium red potato
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• ¼ cup Cognac
• 3 thyme sprigs
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 qt. garden chicken broth
• Grind of s
  alt and pepper, to taste
• Optional Garnish: sour cream, crème fraîche, lovage and celery leaves

~ Preparation ~

Preparation Time: 45 minutes

1. Using a chefs’ knife, cut away celery top and outer layers of celery root. Dice into ½” cubes and set aside in 1-qt. prep. bowl.
2. Dice potato into ½” cubes and place into prep bowl with celery root.
3. Dice onion and add to 4-qt. soup pot. Add olive oil and sauté over medium heat until translucent.
4. When onion has softened, add Cognac, stand back, ignite and watch until flame dies out, about 20 seconds. Once the onion has absorbed all the liquid, add thyme, bay leaf, celery root and potato cubes. Let simmer for 20-25 minutes.
5. Remove bay leaf and thyme stems. Puree with immersion blender, salt and pepper to taste, and serve immediately.
6. Optional: garnish with dollop of sour cream or crème fraîche, lovage leaves and/or celery leaves.

Nutrition content per serving: 157 calories, 20g carbs, 1.5g protein, 8g fat, 1g fiber

Cost per serving: $ 0.18

Source: Rustic Garden Bistro

Spring salad with celery greens, pecans and parmesan.

Click here to view a printable version of this recipe. 

Spring Salad with Celery Greens, Pecans and Parmesan

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~ Serves ~

4

~ Ingredients ~

• 4 oz. mixed green lettuce
• Handful inner celery leaves
• 2 oz. shaved parmesan
• 2 oz. chopped pecans
• 4 tbsp. champagne vinaigrette dressing

~ Preparation ~

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

1. Rinse lettuce and celery leaves clean, spin dry.
2. Prepare champagne vinaigrette dressing.
3. In salad bowl, toss together lettuce, cheese and pecans with champagne vinaigrette dressing.
4. Divide into salad plates and serve immediately.

Nutrition content per serving: 174 calories, 3g carbs, 6.5g protein, 16g fat, 3g fiber

Cost per serving: $ 0.59 – $ 0.84

Source: Rustic Garden Bistro

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Will, one of the resident felines, likes to come visit at mealtime. Look beyond him at that freshly mowed lawn. !!!!! I heart a nice green lawn.

What’s your current ingredient obsession?!

Tagged as: celery root, Lettuce