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.

This pie lost my family’s Holiday Pie-off.  The Sistaster’s Chocolate Pecan pie was the victor.  So why I am burdening you with a losing pie recipe?

Oh my, for many reasons:

One – it’s really hard to compete with a supersweet pie.  In fact, in a blind taste test people tend to prefer Pepsi on the first sip as it has a sweeter first bite than Coke.  But in a longer drink-a-full-can-type taste test, the more balanced flavor of Coke wins out.  Now I’m not comparing my pie to can of Coke but after a huge holiday meal I think my family’s senses were pretty darned dulled and couldn’t appreciate the subtlety of my Gingery Sweet Potato Pie.

Two – my pie is made mostly of real food.  Real vegetables.  The heart and soul of my pie are three beautiful winter-resistant tubers.  That’s just got to win some points over a pie mostly made of corn syrup.

Three – I think I overbaked the pie I made for the Pie-off.  The siblings do not forgive overcooking.

Four – The Sistaster doesn’t write a food blog of her own - therefore nary a word will come in her defense from the internet ether (unless she chooses to leave a comment below, in which case I can only plead to be kind, dear sister, be kind.)

So go on.  For reasons one, two, and three above, make and enjoy this lovely pie.  And in the name of the New Year, please forgive me for being a loser, and forget reason number four.

Time: 20 mintues active time plus about 2 hours baking time
Serves: depends on how many slices of pie you like.  4-12.

Gingery Sweet Potato Pie

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Pick the whole sweet potatoes with a fork and bake them on a
foil-lined baking sheet until tender, about an hour.

For crust:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus additional for buttering pie plate
Flour for dusting
1 1/2 cups finely crushed gingersnap cookies (5 oz; 30 2-inch cookies)
3/4 cup finely chopped almonds or walnuts (2 oz), toasted
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

Meanwhile, start the crust by buttering and flouring a 9″ pie pan.

In a medium bowl, mix together melted butter, gingersnap crumbs,
almonds, sugar and salt.
Press a 1/4 inch thick layer on the bottom, then build an even layer
up the sides.  Chill in the refrigerator until filling is ready.

For filling:
1 1/2 lbs sweet potatoes, (about 3 large)
2 large eggs
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
3/4 tsp vanilla

Split potatoes in half legthwise to cool.  Peel.

In a blender, blend together the potatoes, eggs, cream, sugar, salt,
cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and vanilla.

Pour the filling into the crust and bake for 50 mintues or until the
center is solid and the filling close to the crust is just barely starting to crack.

Cool pie on rack about 1 hour.

Tis the season of sweet treats so perhaps you can feel a little better about yourself by serving up a local veggie for dessert.  This flan isn’t too sweet or rich so it can do double duty as a brunch buffet item.

Get the squash at your winter farmer’s market or CSA… or worst case scenario pick one up that’s been hiding out near the old Halloween pumpkins at your grocers.  Worst WORST case scenario you can pick up a can of squash mash at your closest Whole Foods or similar.

Sweet Squash Flan

1 medium butternut squash (or can of squash puree)
1/2 plus 1/3 cup sugar
1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk
4 freerange eggs
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cloves

Preheat oven to 375.

Halve the squash lengthwise, discard the seeds, and place cut side down on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Bake for an hour, or until soft to the touch all over. Cool and set aside.

Reduce oven temp to 350

Scoop flesh from the squash. Discard the skin. Puree in a blender until smooth and creamy.

Pour 1/2 cup of sugar into a small heavy saucepan.  Heat over medium-low.  When sugar is fully melted pour into a round 9″ cake pan, quickly tipping the pan before the caramel cools to coat the bottom.
 
Combine 1 1/2 cups of squash puree, 1/3 cup sugar, eggs, evaporated milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves in a medium-sized bowl or blender.  Blend until combined.

Pour the batter into the caramel-coated cake pan. Place the cake pan in a larger shallow pan or baking sheet.  Add an inch of hot water to the larger pan.
 
Bake for 50 minutes or until the center of the flan is a consistent texture to the edges and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let cool fully - at least 2 hours. To serve, loosen edges of the flan with a thin knife, place a large plate over the flan and quickly invert onto the plate.

I used this pesto to top a sweet and nutty Sunchoke Latke but you can use it perk up any winter root - how about smothering a pan of roasted potatoes with it?  Or stirring it into celery root mash?

If you want to get really wild, open a box of pasta (size and design your choice) and dump it into a simmering pot of well-salted water.  Cook to al dente, drain, and mix in enough pesto to make the whole shebang green and yummy.

Time: 15 minutes
Makes about 2 cups of pesto

Winter Sage Pesto

1 cup walnuts, chopped
1/4 sweet onion, roughly chopped
1/2 cup loosely packed sage leaves, stems removed and roughly chopped
1 1/2 cups loosely packed fresh spinach, roughly chopped
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup olive oil or more
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Grind up the walnuts in a blender until coarsely ground.  Add the onion, sage, spinach, lemon and olive oil.

Blend until well combined.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Thin out with more olive oil if desired.

So, gentle readers, I’m sending you this recipe in faith that the Winter Solstice will come swiftly, and without any more damage to my personal items or psyche.

The bright spot in all this is my fridge full of hearty winter crops from my new winter CSA share. Homely things like turnips, rutabagas, kohlrabi and parsnips. They look so dirty, plain and unlovable filling up my fridge that it’s a joy Cinderella-ing them into happy bone-warming meals.

This is an easy one. You can make it even when your patience has all but been sucked out like the weak winter light. It’s very forgiving. Use garlic instead of leaks. Mismeasure the flour and milk. Eat it for breakfast with eggs, lunch with beans, or dinner by yourself and It’s a Wonderful Life.

*Below photo shot with a borrowed Nikon D40

Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 6 as a side dish

Pan-sized Sunchoke Latkes

8 large sunchokes, or enough to make 6 cups grated
1 leek, chopped
1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup milk/soymilk
2 eggs or egg replacer
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly cracked pepper
olive oil for frying

Scrub the sunchokes well but do not peel. As your mother always says, that’s where the vitamins are. Plus, it’s a pain in the ass. Grate the sunchokes with a box grater.

In a large bowl mix together the grated sunchoke, leek, flour, milk, egg, salt and pepper.

Heat a good bit of oil in a medium-sized (8 inch or so) skillet. Add 1/2 the sunchoke mix so there is a complete but thin layer of the batter in the skillet. Fry slowly over medium-low heat.

Once the edges are starting to brown (about 5-7 minutes), use a spatula to release the latke from the bottom of the pan, put a plate over the top of the skillet and invert quickly.

Add a bit more oil to the pan, bring to heat, and slide the latke back into the pan, cooked side up. Cook for another 5-7 minutes until golden on the second side.

The recipe above is enough to make two 8-inch latkes. If you’re quick on the draw you can cook them both up at the same time (in separate pans, of course) or make the first one, keep it in a 200 degree oven to warm, then cook the second.

You can cut into wedges to serve or just let your guests go at them like wild animals. Very good topped with Winter Sage Pesto.