January is winding to an end, and I’m surrounded by telltale signs—the boxes of seed deliveries arriving and piling up in the usual corner of our living room, the stack of filing awaiting me after finishing payroll taxes and last year’s books, and last but certainly not least, some goofy adolescent rooster crows erupting from the chicken yard out back at all hours.  The chicks are growing up, and while we may be tight on eggs this week, by early March, there should be plenty.

Little by little, the farm is recovering from the extreme start to the year, and now that it is wet and well above freezing, we’re able to do a little field harvesting again.  The overwintered Leeks that we’re enjoying this week have endured quite a bit.  Leeks happen to be one of those vegetables whose flavor only gets better after a frost; however, deep freeze from a couple of weeks was too much of a good thing for a portion of our crop.  But, the ones that made it are a real treat.  Mark reminded me that they’re sweet survivors in more ways than one, actually.  Shortly after we’d planted them out into their beds last Summer, our resident crows delighted in uprooting the plants one-by-one, repeatedly.  Nothing tests one’s patience quite like a crow who refuses to forget that they found a little bug or grub at the root end of a baby plant one time and is therefore sure to check back every year, wreaking total havoc.

And what goes better with Leeks than Potatoes?  Celery Root, in my humble opinion. (And hear me out on this one—Pears)  Thankfully, this year’s Celery Root crop is on point for us, and I have been looking forward to sharing a few of the ways that our customers have put it to use in their meals.  It is a gnarly looking vegetable, but it is surprisingly versatile.  So, be sure to scroll through the recipes for some more inspiring ways to use Celery Root, from “steaks” to salads. 

Have a great week,
Katie

IN THIS WEEK’S FARMSHARES:

• Leeks

• Celery Root

• Potatoes

• Delicata Squash

• Pears
  

AT THE FARMSTAND THIS WEEK

RECIPES & SEASONAL TIPS

The Vegetable Butcher Banishes Your Fear of Celery Root - The Kitchn
10 Delightful Delicata Squash Recipes - Food & Wine

CELERY ROOT SOUP
David Lebovitz

• 2 tablespoons butter, salted or unsalted

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 2 leeks, cleaned and chopped

• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced

• sea salt

• 1 large, or several smaller, celery roots , (about 3 pounds/1.5kg) peeled and cubed

• 6 cups (1.5l) water

• 1 bay leaf, (optional)

• 10 sprigs fresh thyme, (optional)

• 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly-ground white pepper, (or black pepper)

• scant 1/8 teaspoon chili powder

CONTINUE TO RECIPE

LEEK, POTATO & ROASTED PEAR SOUP
Kitchen Sink Blog

• 3 tbsp avocado oil

• 4 large leeks roughly chopped

• 2 cloves garlic peeled and chopped

• 2 pounds yellow potatoes peeled, cut in chunks (save the potato skins)

• 2 Bosc pears cut in chunks

• 5 cups low sodium vegetable broth

• 2 bay leaves

• 1 tsp dried oregano

• Salt and pepper

• Crispy potato skins

CONTINUE TO RECIPE

CELERIAC STEAKS WITH CAFE de PARIS SAUCE
Yotam Ottolenghi

• 2 large celeriac, hairy roots discarded (no need to peel) and scrubbed clean \

• Olive Oil

• flaked sea salt and black pepper

  For the Café de Paris sauce:

• 110g unsalted butter, cut into 2cm cubes

• 1 small banana shallot, finely chopped (25g)

• 1 garlic clove, crushed

• 3 anchovy fillets in olive oil, drained and finely chopped (optional)

• ½ tsp medium curry powder

• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper

• 1 tbsp mustard powder

• 1 tbsp baby capers

• 2 tbsp chives, finely chopped

• 2 tbsp tarragon leaves, finely chopped

• 1 tbsp parsley, finely chopped

• 2 tsp thyme leaves

• 110ml single or whipping cream

• 2 tsp lemon juice

CONTINUE TO RECIPE

CELERY ROOT HASH
Rick Martinez

• 1 large celery root (celeriac), peeled, cut into ¾-inch pieces

• 1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled, cut into ¾-inch pieces

• 2 sprigs thyme

• 1 bay leaf

• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

• 1 red onion, sliced

• 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced

• Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

• 5 slices bacon, cooked, crumbled

• Chopped fresh chives (for serving)

CONTINUE TO RECIPE

CELERY ROOT STUFFING WITH ROASTED MEYER LEMON
Brooklyn Supper

• 1 small loaf sourdough bread , cut into 1/2-inch cubes

• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter , plus 1 tablespoon more

• 1 large red onion , rough chopped

• 8 stalks celery , trimmed and roughly chopped, leaves reserved for garnish

• 1 large celery root , bumpy exterior and roots cut away and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

• 1 1/4 cups vegetable or chicken stock (homemade or low sodium)

• 1/2 cup parsley

• 2 tablespoons sage

• 2 tablespoons thyme leaves

• grated zest of 1 Meyer lemon , plus 2 tablespoons juice

• 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder

• sea salt and black pepper to taste

  For roasted Meyer lemon slices

• 1 Meyer lemon , cut into thin slices

• drizzle extra virgin olive oil (1/2 teaspoon or so)

CONTINUE TO RECIPE

JOSHUA MCFADDEN’S CELERY ROOT SALAD
WITH BROWN BUTTER, ORANGES, DATES & ALMONDS

• 2 navel oranges, preferably Cara Caras or blood oranges

• 1 small or 1/2 large celery root (about 3/4 lb)

• 1/2 cup pitted dates, cut into quarters or smaller (I highly recommend Medjool dates instead of deglet noor dates, they are much softer and tastier in my opinion!)

• 1/4 teaspoon dried chile flakes

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

• Extra-virgin olive oil

• 1/4 cup Brined and Roasted Almonds (recipe below) - I would highly recommend making these, they are delicious and totally worth an additional step!

• 1 small bunch chives, cut into 3-inch lengths

• 1 small handful flat-leaf parsley leaves

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

CONTINUE TO RECIPE