Looks aren't everything...

...or so celeriac tells itself. And in this case celeriac (or celery root) is correct!

April marks the start of celeriac season in California, so when I saw it at the market I purchased one without really knowing what the heck I would do with it. I was just so excited to see something other than kale, sweet potatoes and butternut squash after a loooong winter.  I put the celeriac on the counter and just looked at it for a couple days, waiting for it to somehow tell me what it wanted to become.  Then it hit me....I had made a sunchoke soup last fall that was out-of-this-world good; maybe this little guy would be my springtime substitute, since sunchokes won't be in season again for many, many months.

You'll need to cut off the rough skin, exposing the white flesh beneath.

You'll immediately smell the familar celery aroma.  Cerleriac had a nice mild flavor and can be eaten raw or cooked.  It would be great shredded in a salad, braised with greens, or roasted with a little sprinkling of olive oil.  But the rainy weather this week had me craving soup, so I pulled out my favorite kitchen helper,
The Flavor Bible, to see what other ingredients celeriac likes to hang out with. Apparently apples, butter, thyme, potatoes, and nutmeg aren't put off by this guy's looks.  So let's get them together and into my belly...

Creamy Celeriac Soup
Serves 6

2 tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped onion
1 celeriac, peeled and chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 medium red potato, diced
1 fuji apple, peeled and diced
4 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup goat kiefer (or buttermilk)
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add onions and saute for 3-4 minutes until softened.  Add celeriac and continue to cook an additional 5 minutes.  Add potato, apple and vegetable broth.  Increase heat and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer 20 minutes until celeriac is tender.   Working in batches, puree soup in a blender and return to pot.  Stir in the goat keifer (or you can use buttermilk),thyme, nutmeg, salt and pepper and cook over low heat for 5 minutes.  Garnish with a thyme sprig.

A note about goat keifer:  I really like the tang that this gives the soup, but if you're not a fan of goat cheese, you probably will want to use buttermilk instead.  Goat keifer is fresh goat milk that has live keifer cultures added to it. This probiotic-rich milk strengthens the immune system and promotes digestive health.  I wouldn't drink a glass of it on a dare, but I do like to add it to soups, sauces and smoothies.
Enjoy!