To Market with Mo: Celery's Ugly Cousin

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Celery Root. Celeriac. Hum, just don't know where to begin with you. I just sit here staring at you and....nothing. Awfully American of me I suppose. Not only do we Yanks want you to taste good, but gosh darn it, you better have some good looks that indicate such. But you? You, you, you just don't send off that 'good looks, equals good taste' signal with your, how shall I say, your, not so appealing looks. Sorry.

Clearly the French don't judge taste 'by the cover' as they are big big fans of celeriac. I mean, can you walk into a bistro in France and not find celeri remoulade on the menu? Oui, I thought not.

Get past that brownish, gnarly exterior, I suggest a paring knife as opposed to a vegetable peeler, and underneath lies a smooth,milky-white, aromatic flesh. The smell and taste are refreshing, grassy, nutty, and kind of lemony all at once. And yes, as the name implies, a bit like celery. Celeriac loves to be paired with apples, parsley, potatoes, lemon, and what it does with cream? Heaven. It adds a great crunch to any salad or crudite platter. And cooked? Glazed, roasted, mashed, as a gratin, or added to soups and stews, on it's own, or with other root and Fall veg, delish.

For all you carb counters out there, celeriac, which is only about 5% starch, is a great stand in for the spud and is low cal, and high in fiber and vitamin K to boot. Right now (Fall) is the best time of year to enjoy celery root at it's peak. Look for firm and unblemished roots about the size of a baseball. Once peeled, you will loose about a quarter or the root so factor that in when cooking.

Though a huge fan of the celeri remoulade, the cooler days just say soup to me. As soup, celeriac cooks down into silky sublimeness in a bowl. And with truffle oil to boot? oh la la, say moi.

Celeriac & Potato Soup with Truffle Oil

(adapted from 'Jamie's Kitchen' by Jamie Oliver)

I medium white or yellow onion, chopped

1 1/2 tablespoon butter

4 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 small bunch of thyme, tied with a string (or sub 3/4 tablespoon dry thyme)

3 cups (just over a pound) celeriac, peeled and diced

3 cups potatoes (a floury not waxy variety), peeled and diced

2 pints chicken stock

7 tablespoons heavy cream (honestly this soup is great without it but go for it, who doesn't love a bit of cream?)

sea or kosher salt and cracked black pepper to taste.

4 tablespoons truffle oil (if you don't have, don't stress this soup can stand alone)

Optional garnish

(chopped parsley & celery leaves tossed with olive oil and lemon juice. sprinkle on soup just before serving)

In soup pot, saute onion in butter and olive oil for about 5 minutes, or until onion is tender and translucent.

Add celeriac, potatoes, thyme and stock to the pot. Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 40 minutes, until the veg are tender. Add cream, if going there. Bring to a boil again, the remove bundle of thyme. Remove pot from stove top. Puree mixture, in batches, in a food processor or blender, or break out the 'boat motor' (aka handblender) and puree away.

Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add truffle oil a tablespoon at a time until desired flavor is reached (strength of flavor can vary depending on brand and whether using black or white truffle oil).

Divide among soup bowls and garnish with parsley-celery leaf salad.

moira@efete.net

Labels: celeriac, celery root, Chicago Famers Makets, Green City Market, root vegetables, seasonal organic produce

To Market with Mo: Peach Amour

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

I have always envied James.  You know, the boy who lived in that famous 'giant peach'?  How heavenly to live inside a giant peach, surrounded by the aromatic, juicy sweet flesh of the peach.  What a deliciously grand way to live...yum.

Some of you razz me about my need to get to the farmers market at the 'crack of dawn' but besides being nice and quiet (relatively) and getting first pick, one of the best things about the market at that time is the smells.  Before too many fellow market goers arrive, you can really smell the fresh produce.  In June the strawberries, and now thru August aromatic peaches.  Their smell is intoxicating, their taste pure heaven.  I am going to go out on a limb and declare the peach the most sensuous fruit of the season, if not the most sensuously divine fruit period.  I think most of you will have to agree with me.

Like berries and other stone fruits, the peach need no adornment to be enjoyed, just wash and eat right over the sink (for real, or else a juicy mess all over the floor).  Absolute perfection.  And at only 30 calories per medium peach, eat as many as you like and get a good dose of vitamin C, potassium, fiber and protein to boot.

Forget the Georgia peach, I think that Michigan peaches (okay, and Long Island peaches) are the best.  Lucky for us in the Chicago area Michigan peaches are taking center stage right now at all of the markets, and just screaming for you to take them home and turn them into jam, chutney, cobbler, pie, ice cream, or add to a salad, or grill them up to accompany grilled chicken or pork, or better yet, to go with some vanilla ice cream.

I have seen a number of yellow-fleshed varieties at the markets and I am anticipating the arrival of the sweeter (due to less acid than their yellow-fleshed cousin) white-fleshed peaches which are so perfect for Bellinis, white sangria, and my favorite summertime appetizer (many times lunch and dinner entree as well for me), white peaches wrapped in prosciutto - a perfect balance of salt and sweet.  Ready for a peach party?

Look for fragrant, blemish-free fruit.  Note that the blush of red on the skin is not an indication of ripeness, so no need to let that be your guide to ripeness.  If your peaches need to ripen some more after you get them home, just store in a paper bag until they reach a desired ripeness.  But with Farmers Market fresh fruit I think you can skip that step and just store on a platter (single layer. piling in a bowl will bruise and ripen peaches too fast), on the kitchen counter.  Like tomatoes room temperature just enhances the peaches' flavor, refrigeration zaps it.  However, if you over bought at the market (oh, something I would NEVER do ;) you can store your peaches in the fridge for up to a week...if they last that long, right?

Peaches & Prosciutto

3 white or yellow fleshed peaches

2 oz of thinly sliced prosciutto ham

18 small leaves of basil (or cut large leaves into 18 slices)

Good quality balsamic vinegar for drizzling

Wash and gently dry peaches.  Cut each peach into six sections and remove from pit.  Cut prosciutto slices into thinner strips so that you have a total of 18 strips.  Place a basil leaf on a peach wedge and then wrap a piece of prosciutto around the wedge.  Repeat this process until all wedges are wrapped.  Chill for about 15 minutes in the fridge and then serve immediately.  Your guests, if you decide to share, will love you.

moira@efete.net

Labels: Chicago Famers Makets, Green City Market, peaches, seasonal organic produce

To Market with Mo: Flower or Vegetable?

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

I have had a hankering for Space Food Sticks for the past week.  Anyone but me remember these 'astronaut staples' (and yes, they actually ate them in space)?  Loved, loved, loved the Space Food Sticks (should I be admitting this?).  I think we thought that if we ate them, we would be like, if not become, astronauts....

But I digress and must get back to earth, back to the present, and back to real fresh food from the Farmers Markets.  The markets are in abundant swing right now, so prime time to be doing the localvore thing.  Something that caught my eye this week were the beautiful squash blossoms. Say wha'?  No, I am not talking traditional Native American necklaces, but the flower of the zucchini plant.

If your favorite chefs have not snatched up all the squash blossoms to be had, and you have time to use them the same day or the next (no later, and be sure to store them in a glass of water or in a ziplock bag with air in it), nab a bunch of squash blossoms n-o-w.  They are a delicate and delectable treat that have a subtle summer or zucchini squash flavor.  Packed with potassium, vitamins B & K, and beta carotene, these tasty blooms are wonderful in soups, frittatas, quesadillas, bruschetta, on pizza or salads, or served stuffed and fried.

When I picked out a beautiful bunch at the market, I was all set to fry.  But after hearing about the mouth-watering menu served at the Green City Market BBQ last week (note to self, be sure to order tickets early before they sell-out) and the squash blossoms that were served stuffed and raw, well I had to give it a whirl.  And after all, the root word of squash is the indian word askutasquash which means 'eaten raw'. So that said, forget the frying and go raw.

Mo's Stuffed Squash Blossoms

10-12 squash blossoms

2 oz soft goat cheese (I used lemon infused)

2-3 T finely chopped mix of fresh parsley, basil and lemon thyme (feel free to use other herbs)

2 T finely chopped zucchini & yellow squash

sea salt to taste

cracked pepper & lemon pepper to taste

Carefully remove the stamen from each blossom (reach in and pull out from the inside of the blossom)  Put blossoms aside.  Meanwhile, mix together the cheese, chopped herbs, chopped squash, salt and peppers.  Then depending on the size of the blossom ever so carefully put 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons of the cheese mixture into a blossom.  Then gently twist the petals of the blossom together to enclose the stuffing.  Fill all of the blossoms then place in the fridge for 15 minutes. Remove from fridge, plate and serve immediately.

Any fans of "Space Food Sticks"? Or anyone with Squash Blossom recipes?  email me at moira@efete.net

Labels: Chicago Famers Makets, Green City Market, seasonal organic produce, squash blossoms