Leeks Stuffed with Celery Root Mash
Inspiration is just not that hard to come by when you’re dealing with seasonal produce. You’ve got a fridge full of stuff and the “what to eat tonight” question becomes, “what do I do with these veggies?”
I had a few leeks and a large homely-looking celery root kicking around my fridge, and what seemed like a problem vegetable drawer became an elegant dinner solution. The idea, to give credit where it is due, came from an old recipe from an old New York Times cookbook for leeks stuffed with salmon mousse. See - inspiration everywhere!
The thing that surprises me most about celery root is that so many people have never had it before and these selfsame people, upon trying it for the first time, declare to love it. Anyone who loves mashed potatoes - and let’s be honest here, who doesn’t love mashed potatoes - is sure to become quickly enamoured of mashed celeric.
So even if you don’t have the patience to blanch and stuff leek leaves, at the very least throw a celery root into your next batch of mashed potatoes. But for those of you who are up for a fun and fancy winter dish, give this a try. You can plate these babies up on a bed of green or black lentils, serve with some crusty wholegrain bread and you’ll be just as fancy as a New York Times food section writer.
Time: 1 hour and 15 minutes
Serves: 4 - 5
Leeks Stuffed with Celery Root Mash
1 large celery root
1 medium potatoes
3 cloves garlic, peeled and left whole
3 fat leeks
2 free-range eggs
1 1/2 cups grated salty (Fontina, Gruyere, Parmesan, etc) cheese
butter
salt and pepper
1/2 cup veggie stock
1/2 cup white wine
Bring a medium pot of salted water to boil.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Clean the celery root and potato, cut into large chunks and simmer until soft, about 20 minutes. Throw in the garlic cloves in when the roots have 5 minutes left to cook.
Mix together the veggie stock and white wine.
Reserving the hot water, drain the roots and garlic and add to a large bowl. Combine with the cheese, eggs, and enough of the stock/wine so it mashes smoothly with a potato masher or hand mixer. Adjust for salt and pepper.
To prepare the leeks, separate about 10 of the largest outside leaves from each stalk (for 20 leaves total), and trim off any dark or tough parts of the leaves - often about half the leaf. Rinse each leaf. Drop the leaves into the reserved hot water and return to a boil, covered for about 5 minutes until the leeks are pliable.
Drain the leeks. Taking one leaf start from the root (light-colored) end and spoon a teaspoon of the root mash near the end. Roll the leek leaf up from the root end to the tip.
Butter an 8 or 9 inch square glass pan, or 2 quart casserole.
Place the stuffed leeks neatly in the pan. Pour in the remaining veggie stock / wine mix so that the bottom half-inch of the leeks are submerged.
Bake for 20 - 25 minutes until heated through and the edges of some leeks just barely begin to brown.
Serve over a bed of your favorite beans.
January 10th, 2008 15:52
Those remind me of the leek wrapped squash (with pomegranate sauce) I made for Danielle’s food blogger potluck last year.
January 19th, 2008 14:15
I confess to being one of those people who’ve never bought celery root. This dish looks lovely, though, and I plan to try it this winter.
January 21st, 2008 13:26
Hi Vanessa,
In the last few months, you may remember receiving an email invitation to become a part of the Foodbuzz Featured Publisher Program. With all the recipe-writing and food photography to be completed, we know emails can easily get lost in the shuffle, so Foodbuzz would like to re-extend our offer of inviting you to be a part of our food blogger network. I would love to send you more details about the program, so if you are interested, please email me at Shannon@foodbuzz.com.
And this celery root mash looks intriguing. I’ve definitely never tried it before, but it looks warm and delicious, and pretty healthy, too! Thanks for sharing.
Cheers!
Shannon Eliot
Editorial Assistant, Foodbuzz.com
shannon@foodbuzz.com
January 26th, 2008 00:03
I know what you mean. I look forward to produce with scent and flavor again. That looks like a nice dish tho.
February 1st, 2008 09:34
oh my gosh! Leeks as stand in for pasta! that’s so kinda, awesomely brilliant! I’m not sure I’d have the patience to do this, but wow, so cool!
February 22nd, 2008 10:44
I’m guilty… I’m one of “those people” who’ve never heard of celery root. I’ll have to keep an eye out for it.
February 25th, 2008 02:51
this dish looks fabulous! i love celery root! it’s just a pain to peel…
March 2nd, 2008 15:32
Vanessa,
I just found your blog. It’s great. This recipe looks super and I also do that trick of adding garlic to the simmering potatoes to add a mild garlicky flavor.
April 6th, 2008 14:42
I’ve been blogging about celeriac this week, too. It must be the weather, or something
April 19th, 2008 22:41
Great recipe. I changed this into a vegan recipe by replacing eggs with EnerG, cheese with Follow Your Heart mozz. I also used white zin for white wine (1 because I had it and 2 because it makes for a less harsh, sweeter wine flavor. For the butter in the pan I used Soy Garden.
The recipe came out great and I served it over Red
Quinoa. Good recipe. I like it.