Yep, it's homely, but so delicious

A friend of mine in college used to say, “There is beauty even in ugly things� and celeriac seems to exist on the planet mainly to prove that she was right. If you’ve been in the produce aisle of pretty much any local grocery store in the past two weeks, you know what I’m talking about. Normally, you’re lucky to find one or two celeriac roots at even the best-stocked stores. Now, the knobs are practically tumbling off their shelves, they are there in such quantity.

How can you tell which ones are celeriac? Simply look for a sand-colored root vegetable that is so twisted up and intergalactic in appearance that it even makes the parsnips look elegant and graceful.

Don’t be put off by the tentacle-like surface of this cousin of the more common (and lovely) celery stalks that are such a common piece of the American diet. They actually do exemplify my friend Yasuko’s statement. Celeriac is a truly lovely vegetable. Especially once you cut off the twisted roots, which look a bit like the legs of a bug that died in agony.

Sorry, that wasn’t a very appetizing description. Try this instead: Cut off the knobby exterior of your celery root and you will find pale, creamy flesh inside. When it is prepared properly, it is sweet and tender and a delight.

If you’ve traveled at all in France, you’ve probably enjoyed celeriac. Most bistros provide a few small plates of appetizers to amuse your mouth as you peruse the menu. Often there are grated beets. Usually there is a little plate of celeriac dressed with a little mustard or mayonnaise.

There are reasons for eating celeriac other than its ability to transport you to a cafe in Paris, of course (although that is certainly an enticing reason). One nutrition and health workout warns that you shouldn’t eat celeriac if you want to gain weight. Since very few people of my acquaintance actually want to gain weight, this seems to make celeriac, conversely, a food that will not put fat on your bones.

It is also, like potatoes, high in vitamins C and B6. Vitamin B6 is one of those incredible vitamins that does everything from regulating your metabolism to fighting dementia. And of course vitamin C not only fights colds, it also fights cancer. A cup of celeriac gives you about 9 percent of  your daily requirement of those two vitamins, which is not an enormous amount but still is nothing to sneer at.

Celeriac also carries a fair amount of calcium (one cup provides 4 percent of the amount you need to ideally eat in one day), which is good if you’re a vegan or if, like me, you don’t like bovine dairy products.

The next question of course is how you get a cup of celeriac into your daily diet. One way is to add it to other root vegetables in a creamy, enticing mash. It’s great with potatoes, for example. Peel off the unattractive skin, cut the celery root into cubes and boil it until tender.

If you want to go the Parisian bistro route, try this method of preparing classic celery root remoulade.

                                                                Celeriac remoulade   

1 celery root;   coarse salt;  2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice;  1/2 cup mayonnaise, 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard;  1 teaspoon rice vinegar;  freshly ground pepper

Peel the rough skin off your celeriac and cut the creamy interior flesh into matchsticks (you can use a mandoline or a very coarse grater). Put your matchstick bits of celery root in a large bowl, sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of coarse salt and 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice and let it all sit for about a half hour. Meanwhile, whisk together the remaining mayo, mustard and lemon juice with the vinegar and some more coarse salt and freshly ground pepper. Add enough dressing to the softened celeriac to dress it but not overwhelm it.