Simple Celery Remoulade
The classic French salad made from celery root, or celeriac, involves
julienning a big ugly celery root extremely thinly. These matchsticks
are covered in a dressing that is heavy on the Dijon mustard, and then
left overnight or at least several hours until the celery root wilts
somewhat. It's a wonderful salad; the mildly nutty white celery root is
sharply flavored by the dressing, but it's far too much work for the
busy cook.
I resolved never to julienne another piece of celeriac; when one would
come into my possession I'd cook it in chunks with potatoes and mash
them together (which is also very nice).
But at the back of my mind, I wondered why we busy people should be
denied Celeri Remoulade. And as I pondered this one day, my eye fell on
the food processor. And not long after that, I was happily dressing a
large mound of freshly grated celery root. Grating the celeriac means
that you don't have to let the salad marinate to soften. It might make
classic French chefs groan in agony, so just don't invite them to
dinner.
Serves 4 to 6
For dressing
-
Cut the celery root in half and store
half for another use (it's terrific in mashed potatoes). Use a paring
knife to cut the thick peel off the celeriac, including any knobby
roots. Working quickly to keep the flesh from browning, cut it into
chunks that you can feed into the food processor with the grating blade
in place. Place the grated celeriac in a mixing bowl.
-
Juice the lemon directly into a jar with
a tight fitting lid (catching the seeds) and add the remaining dressing
ingredients. Shake until creamy and pour it over the grated celery
root. Toss well to combine. Taste, and add more salt or lemon juice, if
needed.
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