Celeriac The Ugliest ,Yet Tasty, Vegetable

Celeriac, also know as celery root or knob celery, is probably the world's ugliest vegetable. Okay maybe not THE ugliest but definitely one of the ugliest. But you know that saying don't judge a book by it's cover, well that should apply to fruits and vegetables too ( not that they wear covers but you get the point) .

Once you cut away the bumpy, rough, dirty outer layer and cut off the almost woody dry green stalks Celeriac is quite palatable. Celeriac is a type of celery and they are both in the same Apium graveolens rapaceum family. Celery is primarily grown and used for the tall green stalks, where as celeriac is grown for it's root. Celeriac can be as large as a small cantaloupe or as small as a large potato. What does Celeriac taste like?, it taste like celery. The inside is white, thick and crunchy when you bite into it. Though it is safe to eat the stalks, people don't because they taste terrible and have a woody textures so they are just discarded. The leaves on both celery and celeriac are also typically discarded.

I buy celeriac to cook in soups and a delicious salad recipe that I will share with you another time. If you do a quick search you will find many recipes using celeriac in soups, as a mash , and I even found an Italian recipe battering and frying celeriac. If you would like some tips on buying, storing and a few recipes I suggest you start here, Veg Box.

Today I want to show you how and why I do not discard the leaves. When I buy both celeriac and celery I will right away remove the leaves. I do this so that I can preserve them and use them as an herb in a lot of my recipes and when I run out of fresh celery. But you can also use the leaves to put in salads, or use like you would a fresh herb.

Start by removing only the leaves from the stalks, then place in a large bowl and cover with cold water and allow to site for a couple of minutes. This soaking is because celery root tend to come with a lot of dirt and this is to assure that all of the dirt is removed from the leaves. The leaves will float to the top, scoop them out and place on a colander and throw out the water they were soaking in. Rinse the bowl and repeat the step one more time. Again place the leaves in a colander and allow to drain for 20 minutes. After they need to be placed on a baking sheet lined with waxed or baking paper.

Now there are to ways to dry them 1. place inside a very-very low heated oven to slowly dry. Do not let them burn. or 2. Leave out to dry in a dry place, and they will dry within 1-2 days. Either way you choose you should turn the leaves a couple of times to ensure even drying.

Once the leaves have completely dried, place inside a blender and pulse for a few seconds to break down. If you would rather leave the leaves whole you may do so. I sometimes just put some of the leaves between my hands and break them up like that, it's your choice. Store in a dry dark place as you would any other spice.

Next time you run out of celery you can use some of the dried leaves in the recipe and still have the celery taste. Or just add them to any of your recipes as you would any other herb. So next time you buy celeriac or celery you can use almost or all of the vegetable, and that is a nice feeling.

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Salt ~ A spotlight on Salt

Salt is not just a simple rock or mineral found on all of our tables and kitchens, it's so much more than that. Sodium Chloride or more commonly know as salt is an essential part of human life and needed to maintain good health. Salt comes in rock form from underground salt deposits left by ancient dried up seas, or above ground in evaporated sea beds. It is also found diluted in sea water, that is then separated in ponds and left to evaporate. There are many different types of salts with different uses textures and grains, all of which have been used by humans since cave man days. Early on humans discovered the many uses for salt,mainly as a flavor enhancer. One of the most important uses which has had a major impact on civilization was in using salt for preserving foods. This allowed the people to enjoy foods year round not only based on the seasons which they were available. Salt also became part of religious rituals , art and folklore. It become so valuable that large trade routes appeared creating economies for many cities, which then led to cities and countries fighting for control of the salt routes- salt wars.

Salt is the oldest know food additive, when used for preserving food it draws out the moisture and slows down the growth of micro-organisms. When added to food it helps balance bitterness by neutralizing the acidity and it helps bring out the other tastes and flavors. Processed foods have a higher salt content than fresh foods because more salt is added to help maintain colors,taste, smells and textures. Outside the kitchen salt also has many uses, in cosmetics, to soften hard water, cleaning agents, clothes dying, deicing roads, and the list is endless.

Salt is not only essential in our kitchens and homes, it is essential to human and animal life. Humans are instinctually drawn to the taste of salt, because without it we wouldn't survive. Salt's main function for our bodies it to helps maintain fluids in our bodies and balance electrolytes that send messages to our muscles and nerves. But just like anything else too much salt is bad for our bodies and can cause high blood pressure and heart problems. Be an informed consumer talk to your doctors and read food labels. Try to avoid too much salt specially high in processed foods, one simple way to remember is any salt compounds contain the word "sodium" like Monosodium glutamate (MSG)- but also baking soda and baking powder. We can use spices and herbs to replace too much salt in our diets.

Ignorantly I thought I knew enough about salt and what it was all about. I think salt is one of the things humans just take for granted without realizing how important it is and how much impact on our societies and cultures it has had. As I began to research salt it became apparent how little I new and how much history and how interesting it actually is. I read and learn so much, the most interesting being that our blood has the same chemical balance of sodium, potassium and calcium found in the oceans. I even learned a new roasting technique,(salt crust roasting), which I can't wait to try. There is just so much to learn about salt that this post could go on and on, but it wont :).

Update: September 2009 : This photo won the September's edition of DMBLGIT for the Originality Category.!

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