Ode to Celeriac by Constance Firosz

Succulent ruby tomatoes, lush and heavy with the promise of pleasures to come;
Eggplants, peppers hot and sweet, milky ears of yellow corn,
A tender fan of lettuce leaf,
Peas packed neatly in translucent pods.
I bite a melon, sun trapped in a webbed rind and
Juice runs down my chin.
In the summer hear,
I do not so much eat as
Succumb.
Dinner is a seduction of
Color, passion and firm, moist flesh,
Each bite always the first,
Reckless and unthinking.

Too soon the earth leans away from the sun and
At the first rumor of frost,
My summer love shudders and is
Gone without a word.
Alone now, I am besieged by
Bulldozer blasts of Arctic air which
Pound the walls of the house and
Rattle the windows
Like a Skeleton
Dancing in a tree.
I wrap my arms around my ribs and
Rock and rock and rock and
Weep for the summer lost.

It is then an unlovely knob, gnarled and lumpy
Surrounded by its aura of tiny roots, fine as any baby’s hair,
Patiently remembers itself to me.
Simple in its Quaker grey and brown,
Unassuming, steady, and
Clear.
Promising only to be,
The twisted, leathery skin hides the
Sweetness locked within;
An enchanted toad,
Spellbound, waiting for release.

And so I light the fire, sharpen my knives and, in the winter’s gloom,
I work the kitchen magic,
Loneliness and dark are
Shut out and obscured by steamy windows as
I peel and boil and mash with potatoes and garlic-
Celeriac.

Heaped upon my plate, sprinkled with the bite of strong black pepper,
A little river of golden butter courses down
And puddles beneath my fork:
I am filled and sated,
Humbled by the grace and generosity of my
Steadfast friend.

Summer will come again
And I will be foolish.
But when my fickle summer lovers abandon me once more,
Always, there will be the solace of the faithful, the true, the root-
Celeriac.

I’ve been writing CSA newsletters for more than ten years and I’ve reprinted this poem at least five times, but always sometime near the end of October. It is now the beginning of February, friends, and let me tell you how much more I am feeling this poem today. At the end of October, I was still messing around with the end of the harvest of all those summer lovers, tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers. Months later, now, celeriac is truly my last friend from the field. Even my kales have crapped out on me. I can get some carrots from the ground and a few leaves of kale if I don’t mind the brown spots, which I sometimes do mind. And potatoes, yes, every day the potato, it’s like bread and water. But last week I made two recipes with celeriac for the first time. Normally I do just like the poem, cook and mash with potato and garlic, serve with butter and salt and pepper, and that is delicious. But these two recipes were also delicious, and rekindled my deep and lasting love of celeriac. Here they are for you. The poem and the recipes are from the From Asparagus to Zucchini cookbook.

Lentil and Celeriac Salad - Bon Apetite, May 1994
1 pound celeriac
1 cup lentils
6 T. olive oil
3 T. white wine vinegar
1 1/2 tsp. Minced garlic
1 tsp. Minced fresh rosemary
large pinch of ground nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
Cook celeriac in boiling water until tender, about 45 minutes. Drain, cool, and peel. Cut celeriac into 1/4 inch cubes to yield 1 1/2 – 2 cups. Cook lentils in boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to the bite, about 20 minutes. Drain and cool. Whisk oil, vinegar, garlic, rosemary and nutmeg in small bowl. Season with salt and pepper and stir in cheese. Mix celeriac, lentils and dressing in bowl. Four servings.

Celeriac au Gratin – Harmony Valley Farm
2 large celeriac, peeled
1 T. flour
salt and pepper to taste
2 T. butter
1 C. chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup grated swiss or cheddar cheese
Peel and slice celeriac into 1/8 inch pieces. Simmer in water over medium heat until just tender, 15-20 minutes. Drain. In medium saucepan, melt butter, add flour and cook until golden. Remove from heat and slowly whisk in stock. Return to heat and stir until boiling. Cook until thick. Season with salt and pepper. Heat oven to 375. Place drained celeriac in a shallow 8 inch baking dish; pour sauce over celeriac. Sprinkle on the cheese and bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Makes 4-6 servings.