I’m in a celeriac mood lately (see last week’s post) and it seems every where I look (whether foodblog or cookbook) there’s another great and original use for this great, underused vegetable.
Served raw celeriac is crunchy and aromatic. Come to think of it, so is parsnip. And fennel. So what if you combine the three?
This salad is bound together by the inclusion of a mustard and lemon juice dressing. I’ve also included a liberal handful of torn up garden mint and parsley leaf which compliment the flavours perfectly giving little taste explosions in your mouth.
Finally the crunch of the salad on top of a piece of good toasted bread is (in my opinion at least) a really robust salad perfect for those early Spring days.
This recipe is also my entry for this week’s great Weekend Herb Blogging event, being held over at jugabandi.
Celeriac, Parsnip and Fennel Salad Recipe - Ingredients
- 1/2 Celeriac, peeled and cut into thin strips
- 1 Fennel Bulb, cut into thin strips
- 1 Parsnip, peeled and cut into thin strips
- Good crusty bread, for the toast
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Dijon Mustard
- Juice of 1 Lemon
- Garden Mint
- Parsley Leaf (optional)
- Salt and Pepper to season
Celeriac, Parsnip and Fennel Salad Recipe - Method
- Squeeze half the lemon juice into a bowl and then add the chopped up vegetables - this will stop them turning brown.
- Mix together the mustard, olive oil and remainder of the lemon juice in a cup. It will look curdled at first but it isn’t - keep mixing until smooth.
- Roughly rip / chop up the herbs and add to the vegetables.
- Pour in the dressing and mix up with your hands
- Meanwhile…Heat a griddle pan until smoking hot (drip a tiny drop of water onto it to see if it’s hot enough - if that makes sense).
- Griddle the bread until crusty on one side with lines as shown in the picture. Turn over and repeat.
- Heap the salad onto the still hot toast and enjoy while still hot!
What other ideas do you have for great, simple salads? We’d love to hear about them!
Jeanne
Y
Lil
Lydia (The Perfect Pantry)
peabody
katie
Coffee and Vanilla
We Are Never Full
leigh
Julia
April 13th, 2008 at 9:48 pm
i adore parsnips and have never tried celeriac. this sounds like something i would love to try. thanks for your entry.
April 13th, 2008 at 10:17 pm
Now I really love this recipe, because it combines three things I don’t like very much on their own into one dish that looks delicious. I think the mustard helps to tenderize the celeriac. I’ll definitely try this, as I’ve been pushing myself to eat more of the veggies I don’t usually choose.
April 13th, 2008 at 10:48 pm
I had some lovely roasted celeriac the other day. I can’t say I have ever had it raw.
April 13th, 2008 at 11:09 pm
bee: No problem; great to find your site!
Lydia (The Perfect Pantry): The mustard does seem to help soften the veggies slightly; both in taste and in texture. Still, I loved it.
peabody: Neither had I until recently. It’s well worth trying though!
April 14th, 2008 at 7:15 am
Sounds like my kind of salad. Anything which has a crunch factor is definetly right up my street!
BTW neat design
April 15th, 2008 at 3:17 am
I agree with everyone here - looks so healthy, crunchy and fabulous. I really like how you presented it in the picture over that grilled bread. great job.
April 15th, 2008 at 9:47 pm
R khooks: Mixing textures as well as flavours certainly makes for interesting eating! And thanks for the btw!
We Are Never Full: You’re too kind. It didn’t last long; I ate it shortly after
April 16th, 2008 at 2:27 am
Sounds very interesting and quite tasty! I’ve never even tasted celeriac and it’s been on my “to try” list for ages now!
April 16th, 2008 at 4:57 am
What a lovely idea! An interesting mix, well-placed on bread.
April 16th, 2008 at 6:15 pm
Kalyn: That really surprises me. Your recipes are a constant source of new food inspiration for me!
Simona: Thanks; lovely maybe but certainly tasty
April 17th, 2008 at 8:49 pm
Mmm….celeriac and fennel, two of my favourite things! The mustard makes me think of remoulade too. I will definitely have to try this one!
April 25th, 2008 at 6:19 pm
this looks great! i love all the veggies involved, however, i would never have thought of eating parsnip raw… sounds intriguing!
April 26th, 2008 at 12:54 am
Alexx: The mustard is a nice touch and really brings out the flavours. Definitely worth a try in my opinion.
johanna: Most people don’t. I’m on a whole raw food phase at the moment!
May 7th, 2008 at 1:24 am
Celeriac rules! I am always appalled at how expensive it is here compare to Europe but that is one item I can’t live without. I like it raw way better than cooked, same for fennel so this reipe is going straight to the printer!
May 7th, 2008 at 10:52 pm
Tartelette: Nice to hear from someone who shares the same tastes. Bring on the crunchy salads - not just the soft leafy ones we see all the time!
May 12th, 2008 at 2:47 pm
This looks delicious! Celeriac is so good raw. It’s so good… full stop! I love it. I must try this.
May 12th, 2008 at 7:25 pm
Niamh: It is a great vegetable. So sadly underused but I’m trying to change that!
May 20th, 2008 at 2:53 pm
I adore celeriac and am a recent convert to fennel, so might have to try this! Celeriac remoulade is one of my all-time favourite things - which reminds me, I have a celeriac in the fridge!
June 30th, 2008 at 8:36 pm
I find that the right ingredients make the right recipe. For such a fancy recipe, I highly recommend trying the extra-virgin olive oil from holyfoodimports.com
It is imported to the US from Israel, and it is produced using cold presses,
as was the method over 3,000 years ago, so it really does have an excellent taste.