This recipe is in partnership with California Olive Ranch. See below for more details.
One of my marks for a good chef is how they can transform a meat-based dish into a vegetarian meal. When I'm in a group setting and request vegetarian, there are usually two outcomes: the chef used what they were doing anyway or served a completely different meal. While I understand the different meal for some dishes, I've had the occasion of longingly looking at my meat dish and thinking that it could have easily been vegetarian. This grilled celeriac was inspired by a chef that simply shifted the meat dish (fish atop celeriac puree) and turned it into a celeriac steak on top of the puree. I wanted to recreate something similar but with a bean puree for a bit of protein boost.
PrintThis grilled celeriac is light on ingredients but solid on flavor. The grilled steaks are charred then roasted for the perfect fork/knife texture.
Tips & Tricks: Add a little oil to the grill pan to help the garlic. This is my shortcut when I want roasted garlic but don’t want to wait 45 minutes.
Stock up: get the pantry ingredients you will need: celeriac, olive oil, thyme
Nutrition: get the information.
This recipe might seem slightly intimidating if you've never worked with celeriac before. I assure you, however, celeriac is a star-quality root that deserves the attention. Once you get past the somewhat grumpy-looking exterior, you're left with a root that's flavor has just the right amount of celery taste. A few alternatives to this recipe:
Grains: To make this meal even more hearty, add a few spoonfuls of cooked grain to the top of the bean puree. I like sorghum or barley for an nice chewy addition.
Root Vegetables: If you’re not sure about tackling the celeriac, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, or strips of parsnips would work.
Celeriac Puree: Not sure you have another celeriac recipe? Roast the leftover celeriac and add it to the bean puree.
One of my favorite things to do in January is reset my pantry. It's the perfect time to cycle through old grains, legumes, spices, and oil- all things that can go bad over time! I went on a tour of the olive harvest for California Olive Ranch olive oil and wanted to share the behind the scenes. Quality pantry ingredients are the foundation for a good recipe and I count my California Olive Ranch as one of the most important! You can read about the whole process and see what makes the olive oil so great!
A big bottle of COR's everyday olive oil sits on my counter and is used every day (that's not an exaggeration.) They are such a wonderful California company whose product you know is fresh. It's amazing what a difference fresh olive oil can make on a meal. A few of my favorite recipes that highlight the flavor of olive oil include:
Chimichurri Potato Tacos with Pinto Beans
Olive Oil Cake
White Bean Dip with Roasted Garlic and Herbs
What a lovely place!
This is a great recipe for everyone's taste. It seems simply delicious!