Take this knobbly vegetable and enjoy its earthy celery-like sweet flavour in a simple raw salad that’s a lovely change from cooked veggies over winter. It is an easy match make with smoked trout, fish, poached or roast chicken, grilled meats or egg dishes, with a sliced baguette on the side. It is best sliced thinly to ensure there’s a nice coating of dressing all over to absorb. Avoid grating as it can become mushy. A nice crunch is the aim.

makes about 3 cups loosely packed

450-500g celeriac

juice of a lemon

½ teaspoon salt

dressing:

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

3 tablespoons (1/4 cup) quality mayonnaise (Kewpie used here)

3 tablespoons (1/4 cup) Main Ridge Dairy goat’s curd, or natural Greek yoghurt

3 tablespoons (1/4 cup) finely chopped flat-leaf parsley (or other soft green herbs eg. dill, tarragon, chives)

2 anchovy fillets, finely chopped (optional)

Have ready a bowl of cold water and add the lemon juice and salt. Using a sharp knife peel the celeriac, removing the rough knobbly outer skin and discard.

Finely slice the celeriac into about matchstick widths, then cut the slices into julienne (thin strips). Alternatively, using a vegetable peeler, work around the celeriac bulb peeling strips of 6-8cm lengths. Immediately transfer the cut celeriac into the bowl of acidulated water to prevent browning.

For the dressing, whisk together the mustard, mayonnaise, goat’s curd or yoghurt to combine well. Stir in the parsley, and anchovy if desired.

Drain the celeriac well. Transfer to a bowl. Pour over the dressing an dtoss to coat celeriac well. Set aside for 20 minutes for the flavours to meld.

The salad is best eaten on the same day of making.

OPTION: For a winter combination of pink daikon, small kohlrabi and celeriac, cut each vegetable into thin strips and combine with the same dressing.

Recipe by Fiona Hammond, July 2023