829 Southdrive

829 Southdrive

A New Jersey state of mind



Friday, November 18, 2011

The Root of our Family Tree




Celeriac, otherwise known as Knob Celery, has been
the root of our family tree longer than I've been around.
OFD  is when we all enjoy it in a salad made very much
like German Potato Salad.  In fact it's virtually identical,
except that the knobs are used in place of boiled potatoes.
And the keeper of the tradition (Mom) includes chicory 
leaves for garnish and texture.  They're tangy and add a
slight crunch.  They happen to be my favorite part.

It's a grotesque looking vegetable, with roots and knobs
protruding in all directions, and I imagine most folks are 
just plain scared to tackle the thing.  The stalks resemble 
celery, but are more tough and bitter than their cousins.
The prize is definitely the bulbous root.  The whole root
is boiled in salted water in its jacket 'til tender, cooled, 
and then peeled and cubed.  Next step is to toss the cubes
in a simple vinaigrette with thinly sliced onions and chicory
and left to sit, marinating.  Close to service is when
mayonnaise is folded in, although not too much, just enough
to coat all involved, and then salt and pepper to taste.


It's a cold side dish to an otherwise warm array of 
accompaniments (except for cranberries which I don't 
dislike but have never found a use for on THXG).
You'll find yourself raiding the fridge early Thanksgiving
Friday morning, in your underwear, eating it from the 
tupperware with a fork, alternating bites with tugs of 
cold milk straight from the jug. 

14 comments:

  1. You had me until the part about your underwear.

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  2. I had a feeling I went too far but that's not unusual for me, is it?

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  3. And the fork and jug were a turnoff?

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  4. I can see the resemblance.

    Cold milk in your underwear? Like, wow, man.

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  5. Just as long as you keep your underwear on.

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  6. I'm going to try this recipe,like the salad, fully dressed. Sounds good!

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  7. Would a little Mangalica ham be good in there, like a little bacon in potato salad?

    Although I guess that's a bit of a moot point, I already ate it.

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  8. Bonnie, cured meat is a good addition to any food. I'm thinking for the knob salad, some crisp Harrigan's cob-smoked bacon lardons. Yeah!
    That would blow Mojo's mind. And mine.

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  9. You know I'm not one who likes to mess with perfection, Baydog...

    ... but holy smokes does that sound good!

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  10. Shit, I may need to bring some in order to mess with said perfection?

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  11. Absolutely! You and I can quietly improvise on a control portion prior to the meal.

    If it works we can drop the bomb on the whole batch and hope for critical acclaim.

    If not I will be mixing those lardons into the "schmea" on my everything bagel the next morning.

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  12. Considering the esoteric nature of the holy side dish, dropping the bomb on the whole batch is out of the question, I think. What we do off to the side is an entirely different story.

    You getting bagels the next morning?

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  13. WHOA. What have I done!

    Well, it's just an experiment on the side. phew!

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  14. Just testing you, Baydog. We are both purists at heart.

    Bien sur as to bagels.

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