One of my favorite winter salads is one made from shredded celery root, or celeriac. If you are unfamiliar with this nubby root vegetable, typically found in a quiet corner of the produce section, here’s what it looks like:
This is what a nice one should resemble–unfortunately, because they are still unfamiliar to many people, the unsold celeriac will sometimes linger way past its prime before it gets yanked by the grocer. Your ideal root should be fresh, firm, the color somewhere between creamy-light beige-faintly green, with the stem ends where the celery was once attached looking recently cut and verdant, rather than withered and mottled.
Once you find a nice globular one, bring it home, peel off the tough exterior, and use it to make one of several things: a mash just like you would mashed potatoes with butter or cream and freshly ground nutmeg; or simmered in a chicken or vegetable stock until soft enough to pierce with the pointy end of a knife and then pureed for a soup; or shred it for a light winter salad.
I follow my Belgian grandmother’s recipe, which is basically the classic French celeriac remoulade. It’s very weeknight friendly, you can improvise with whatever herbs you like (think parsley, tarragon, chives), and even add chopped gherkins or capers. In a way it has the same versatility as cabbage–which can also be turned into a slaw or cooked until broken down and all together something different.
For the cookbook I’m working on a recipe for pairing the salad with a turkey schnitzel, but really it goes well with any breaded cutlet recipe you like. It can also be the main part of your meal if you’re going meatless
