Celery Root Salad a la Viennoise

May 7, 2009 by Anna Migeon

 This salad is new and different, I'll bet – a good first step to eating as varied a diet as possible. I'd never heard of celery root before I lived in France, and I never come across recipes for it now, but it is available in some grocery stores. I wonder who else is buying it and what they do with it. I have a soup recipe or two that include it, but this is a really tasty, easy way to discover its flavor.

Variety in food is the number one rule to follow in feeding children. I try to continually bring into my family's diet as many different foods as possible. It keeps things interesting, guarantees a variety of nutrients, expands our horizons, eliminates fussiness. Eating a wide variety of foods also prevents getting much of anything harmful. Kids can get used to trying everything and enjoying adventures in food, if you just keep at it.

2 large celery roots

1 lemon

1 T Dijon mustard

1 t horseradish, finely grated fresh or prepared in a jar

2 small dill pickles, finely minced

1 T white vinegar

1 C mayonnaise

2 T minced parsley

1 T finely minced chives

1 pinch of white pepper

Optional: ½ C finely cubed ham

Bring to boil a fairly large pan of water. Meanwhile peel the celery roots. Cook them until fairly tender when pierced a fork, about 30 minutes. Drain them, and when cooled enough to handle, cut them into small cubes, place them in a serving bowl and sprinkle with lemon juice.

In a small mixing bowl, combine the mustard, horseradish, pickles and vinegar, and blend well.

Add the mayonnaise, mustard-vinegar mixture and white pepper, parsley and chives to the celery root cubes. Toss the salad carefully with two forks and chill for an hour or two before serving.

From Perla Meyers' excellent old classic, The Seasonal Kitchen: a return to fresh foods.