Today's recipe was a big first. This is the first time I've ever encountered the weirdest looking vegetable in all the vegetable lands (or at least top ten): the uber fug celery root.
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| The scourge of my vegetable drawer meets its match. |
Doesn't it look a bit like the trolls from Ernest Scared Stupid? Proceed with caution, this movie terrified me as a child.
Isn't it terrifying? Every time I peeked at it in the vegetable drawer, I kept worrying that my celery root would have turned into that guy and shanked me with a carrot spear or something. I have a very active imagination. Even after I peeled it, it still looked crazy! I had to chop it into small cubes to feel good about it not turning into a murderous troll.
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| In which I crush the spirit of my celery root. |
As per usual, I digress. As fug as the celery root was, this recipe caught my eye because it has two things I love, red wine and dijon mustard. Also, I'm a sucker for roasted vegetables. And now troll-like vegetables. This recipe is not pretty. In fact, it has the same coloring as our friend, Mr. Troll. But gosh darn it, it is delish and easy to make. In a departure from almost every other recipe I've made in Blue, this one actually makes the four servings it claims to. Enjoy this recipe with some nice crusty bread and a side salad.
Lentils with Wine Glazed Winter Vegetables
(via MyRecipes, from Cooking Light)
(via MyRecipes, from Cooking Light)
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| Lentils with Wine-Glazed Winter Vegetables |
Ingredients:
3 cups water
1 1/2 cups dried lentils
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
1 1/2 cups chopped peeled celeriac (celery root)
1 cup diced parsnip
1 cup diced carrot
1 tablespoon minced fresh or 1 teaspoon dried tarragon, divided
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 garlic clove, minced
2/3 cup dry red wine
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Directions:
1. Combine water, lentils, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and bay leaf in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat, and simmer 25 minutes. Remove lentils from heat, and set aside.
3. Heat olive oil in a medium cast-iron or nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
4. Add the onion, celeriac, parsnip, carrot, and 1 1/2 teaspoons tarragon, and sauté 10 minutes or until browned. You can now breath easy; your celery root is officially dead and should look something like this:
5. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt, tomato paste, and garlic; cook mixture 1 minute.
6. Stir in wine, scraping pan to loosen browned bits.
7. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
Stir in mustard.
8. Add lentil mixture, and cook 2 minutes.
9. Remove from heat; discard bay leaf, and stir in butter, 1 1/2 teaspoons tarragon, and pepper.
10. Eat with some bread! I strongly recommend the Sesame Garlic Rolls from When Pigs Fly Bakery for this and for life in general. I'm drooling right now.
2. Reduce heat, and simmer 25 minutes. Remove lentils from heat, and set aside.
3. Heat olive oil in a medium cast-iron or nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
4. Add the onion, celeriac, parsnip, carrot, and 1 1/2 teaspoons tarragon, and sauté 10 minutes or until browned. You can now breath easy; your celery root is officially dead and should look something like this:
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| The only good celery root is a dead celery root. |
6. Stir in wine, scraping pan to loosen browned bits.
7. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
Stir in mustard.
8. Add lentil mixture, and cook 2 minutes.
9. Remove from heat; discard bay leaf, and stir in butter, 1 1/2 teaspoons tarragon, and pepper.
10. Eat with some bread! I strongly recommend the Sesame Garlic Rolls from When Pigs Fly Bakery for this and for life in general. I'm drooling right now.
. Verizon wanted to charge me $150. That would be WITH my $50 upgrade credit (the program expires in June, get on it stat!). But I accidentally stumbled across it on Amazon, and seriously. Seriously guys. Not only is it a collaborative thing with Verizon (as in I still get my bill from them, I'm just buying the phone from Amazon), it is a truly magical thing.
series. But this is not a post about an awesome book about a WW2 era English nurse who trips and falls through a mini Stonehenge and time and into the arms of a be-kilted ginger Scot that you should read. It is about another saccharine-y fun book for grownups that I read just the other day! 
, 
, and 
. Yes. Seriously. Though nowhere near as insane as 
and all their neighbors in the convent. The hills of your mouth will be alive with delicious. You may even want to sing about it. It is possibly the best recipe in 
(but as I haven't made them all, this is a dubious statement - they are all really good). As a liquorice h8r, I was dubious about the fennel. But you know what? This recipe totally turned my h8r ways bass-ackwards. Now I love fennel, all thanks to Debra Mayhew & Co. This is a hearty, delectible, peasant-y soup that freezes well and is great in winter, fall, and even spring!
