Cook Club: Celebrate finding a new flavor in celery root

Like people, winter vegetables dress for the season.

Their thick outer skins allow them to thrive in the cold. Even then they manage to maintain a bit of beauty. Acorn squash is flush with deep greens and a smattering of gold. Beets display their bright cranberry and orange tones with gusto.

Then there's the celery root. It is a gnarly, knotty root vegetable that appears scarred from its time underground.

On the surface, it can't compete with sunny carrots with their perky tops and its gloriously green cousin, celery. If vegetables could have complexes, celery root most certainly would.

All the more reason then to make celery root the focus for February's Gazette KCRG-TV9 Cook Club recipe — Celery Root Soup with Chickpea Croutons and Pesto Drizzle.

What is lying underneath that thick, unattractive exterior is a flavor that is simultaneously subtle and strong with hints of fennel and truffle while maintaining the very clean scent of celery. While celery is grown for its stalks and leaves, celery root is developed for its root. It is a slow growing vegetable that takes on the flavor of the soil. Celeriac, as it is also known, is less sweet than carrots or parsnips, taking on more earthy flavors from its slow growth in soil.

Getting beneath the surface of a celery root may seem intimidating. But the bumpy exterior is actually much easier to get into than butternut squash (a vegetable that I adore but despise peeling). If the skin is not too thick and bumpy, use a vegetable peeler. A knife does the trick on thicker skin. 

It's worth the effort. Celery root is a good source of vitamins B6 and C, potassium, magnesium, manganese and phosphorous. It is low in carbohydrates so it is often substituted for the carb-heavy potato. Unlike the potato, though, celery root is delicious raw and makes a great crisp slaw. It is also wonderful mashed, roasted and slow cooked in a soup.

What better month than February is there to fall in love with a new vegetable, especially one that proves beauty is only skin deep.

Until a few months ago I had never purchased much less cooked with celery root.

My curiosity was piqued during a phone conversation with my younger brother. He lives in California and due to the time difference and my inability to stay up much past 9 p.m., we typically chat while he is cooking dinner. On this day he was making a soup with celery root.

Apparently it is one of his favorite vegetables. That's all it took to inspire me to get to know the root better with this month's Cook Club recipe.

While your grocery store checker may have a hard time finding celery root on the store's point of sale system (at my Hy-Vee the checker told me it is labeled under 'Difficult to Find Vegetables'), it is not particularly hard to find in the produce section. Look for it near the beets.

The snarl of roots will catch your eye. It may be beastly looking but don't worry, there is beauty inside.

For this Gazette KCRG-TV9 Cook Club recipe I chose to make a pureed celery root soup. I considered a chunky soup with a myriad vegetables but I really wanted to allow this root to shine on its own, with other vegetables playing a supporting role.

The result is a silky smooth soup that hangs lightly on your taste buds.

I often get tired of the sameness of a pureed soup so I added roasted chickpeas to act as a crouton of sorts.

For a little extra flavor punch and some color, I also drizzled on some pesto.

This soup has enough complexity on its own that you don't need these extras.

If you have the time and the ingredients, though, go for it.

Either way, discover a root worth celebrating.

Recipe: Celery Root Soup with Chickpea Croutons & Pesto Drizzle (Serves 4 to 6)

Soup

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, sliced

3 garlic cloves, sliced

1 large Yukon potato, peeled and diced

12 ounces celery root, peeled and chopped

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

6 cups chicken or vegetable stock, plus more for thinning

Pepper to taste

1/4 cup pesto

In a large stockpot over medium-high heat, melt the butter with the olive oil. Once melted, add the onion and allow to soften for about 5 minutes. Add in garlic and saute until fragrant.

Add in potato, celery root, salt, lemon juice, parsley and stock. Bring to boil over high heat. Once boiling, lower to a simmer and partially cover. Simmer until potato and celery root are soft and you can easily spear it with a knife. Take if off the heat and puree in the pot with an immersion blander or alternatively, puree it in batches in a blander. Once the soup is completely smooth, put it back on a low heat and pepper to taste as well as more salt if needed.

To serve, top soup with Chickpea Croutons (recipe below) and a drizzle of pesto.

Chickpea Croutons

1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 tablespoon lemon zest

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray or line with parchment paper.

Rinse and drain chickpeas. Pat dry gently with a kitchen towel or paper towels. The outer skins will start to peel off. Remove or roast as is. Place dried chickpeas in a small bowl. Pour in olive oil and lemon juice and toss to coat. Stir in garlic powder, salt and pepper. Dump out chickpeas onto baking sheet and spread out evenly.

Roast for 30 to 40 minutes or until chickpeas start to slightly char but still have give when squeezed between two fingers. Stir chickpeas every 10 minutes to ensure even roasting. When done, toss chickpeas with lemon zest and allow to cool.

These can be made a few hours before serving the soup but are best the same day.

Source: Heather Younker

MacGyver Magic

No chickpeas? Walnuts also pair well with celery root. Use 1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped walnuts in place of the chickpeas. Once coated with the olive oil and spices, place in a 375-degree oven and roast for 10 to 12 minutes. Stir after five minutes.

Water or a combination of stock and water can stand in for the chicken or vegetable stock.

Time Saver

Don't have the time to wait for the chunks of celery and potatoes to soften? Shred them in a food processor instead. The vegetables will cook much faster. Since they'll end up pureed, in this case, initial size doesn't matter.

Drink Up

Beer is a surprising and preferable pairing for this soup. Here are three beers that complement the earthiness of the celery root and the roasted flavors of the chickpeas. You cannot go wrong with any of these three choices:

• Founders Dirty Bastard: A Scotch-style ale with a malty richness from its seven variety of imported malts.

• Samuel Smith's Nut Brown Ale: An English-style brown ale that is dry, nutty and sweet at the same time.

• Sierra Nevada Porter: A malty, medium-bodied porter with a lovely roasted sweetness.

Cook With Us

The Gazette KCRG-TV9 Cook Club wants you to fall in love with this month's Celery Root Soup with Chickpea Croutons & Pesto Drizzle. Give the recipe a try and share successes (or failures) with us on Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest.