Vegetable: Celeriac

Recipes:
Celeriac and Leek Gratin
Celeriac Mash
Celeriac and Mixed Seed Salad
Celery and Celeriac Soup
Root Vegetable Gratin
Spicy Baked Celeriac
Markus’s Root Veg Slaw

Type: The ugly sister of tall, slender Celery

Vitamin and mineral content: Vitamins A, B and C, minerals including iodine, magnesium, phosphorus, manganese and potassium is a good antioxidant.

Reputedly good for: Among other things, it is said to help lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of bowel cancer.

Availability: October to March in the UK.

Storage: Keeps for several weeks if loosely wrapped and kept in the fridge.

Preparation: Luckily for celeriac, beauty comes from within, so don't be put off by its knobbly exterior. The French eat celeriac raw (or quickly blanched) and thinly sliced with mayonnaise in a dish known as céleri rémoulade, but it can also be mashed and mixed with other root veg, where it will add a smooth nutty flavour. Cut any remaining leaves of and remove the tough outer layers. The stalk can be used with restraint in stocks and sauces.

Origins: Celeriac is derived from wild celery whose origins are in the wild bogs of Asia. While celery has been used in Europe since ancient times (it is mentioned in Homer's Odyssey as 'selinon'), it is unclear when celeriac was first cultivated, although it was used in recipes as far back as the seventeenth century.