Celeriac coming!

Patricia mentioned that celeriac will be harvested and available sometime soon. Celeriac is one of my favourite strange veggies. My daughters call it mandrake (all you Harry Potter fans will understand why). Here is the way my mother prepared it, from the Mamma Leone cookbook (Mamma Leone's was a famous Italian restaurant in New York City, and Mom made several really excellent dishes from the cookbook). The comments in italics are actually from my father when he sent me the recipe.

Marinated Celeriac

Peel 1 lb celeriac after cutting off greens - reserve greens for optionally adding them - or some of them - to the boiling water. (After peeling the celeriac was down to 7/8 lb.)

Cut into 1/2" x 1/2" strips (Leone's says 1/4" - I think this is too fragile). Boil the strips 5-10 min. in salted water & drain (or rinse with cold water in strainer & then drain).

Marinade consists of:

1/4 cup olive oil

3 Tbsp. wine vinegar

1 garlic clove, mashed or minced

1/2 tsp. powdered mustard

5 Tbsp. lemon juice (Leone's says juice of one lemon - the 5 Tbsp. comes from mom)

salt & pepper to taste

Pour over the strips. I let it marinate for several hours at room temp. (If you refrigerate it the oil solidifies).

I like this as an appetizer on a plate with olives and other savoury tid-bits or in a salad. It could be a side dish, too.