Cheers to our Beer-Battered Celeriac Scaloppine [sca-lop-pì-næ] (escalopes)…

Welcome to our plant-based recipes collection – the fruit (and veggies) of the collaboration between ottimoblog.com and appetibilis.net | Here happily edited and translated by Orsola 😀

Yay for celeriac! Also known as celery root, may not be the most beautiful vegetable on the market, but don’t let that stop you! This earthy, gnarled-looking root is actually a real treat. The white pulp is very versatile, which makes it a great addition to any dish.

After all, there is no disputing about tastes… Right?!

“De gustibus non disputandum est” [de goos-ti-boos nohn est dis-poo-tahn-doom]

from dictionary.com

There are so many incredible recipes for celeriac! I’ve seen everything from vegan meatballs to soups, purees, and millefeuilles. The web is full of amazing ideas!

We prefer our celeriac escalope, especially in its beer-battered cremina (the pan sauce) 🍻 Though, you could use a variety of ingredients to complement the scaloppine-style, (check the note below the recipe). And guess what? It can be easily made gluten-free!

Recipe for the Beer-Battered Celeriac Scaloppine

It is a ‘root vegetable’ which means that we eat the root. Also called ‘Verona celery’, it consists of 90% water and is rich in vitamins and minerals. So far, so good, except that it contains some elements that may create allergic reactions. But this is true of many foods, so let’s not over-consume it and enjoy some celeriac!

[servings: 4 | time: 30 min | difficulty: medium-easy]
*| Please note that the info and directions provided for the recipe are indicative: the end result may vary from person to person |*

Ingredients

• 1 celeriac (800 g to 1 kg)
• 4 tablespoons of flour (all purpose is fine) + so more to flour the slices (*)
• The amount of oil to cover the bottom of the pan (**)
• 100 ml double malt lager beer
• 2 pinches of salt
• 1 round of freshly ground pepper

Tools

• A paring knife (is short knife, with a curved blade, the best to peel the knobbly one)
• a cutter board
• a casserole for blanching
• a medium size frying pan
• a turning spatula

Directions

1. Peel the celeriac: peel deeply, this root has a thick skin.
2. Cut it into 1 cm thick slices.
3. Blanch the slices in plenty of lightly salted water, for about 5 minutes (from boiling). Drain and set aside.
4. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat, flour each slice and toss them in the pan. Brown them on both sides and season with a bit of salt.
5. When golden brown, add the beer, turn up the heat and let it evaporate and congeal… this is the magic moment of the creamy sauce.
6. Season with salt and pepper, and serve.

Notes and variations

• By using a regular flour (with gluten) – you will easily achieve the classic cremina (the pan sauce), typical of scaloppine.
• If, on the other hand, you’re using a gluten-free flour, such as rice or chickpea (which may perform differently), you should add a knob of vegetable butter, or homemade margarine, at the end of the cooking to add to the cremina (creamy) effect.
• To cook scaloppine you could also add: white wine, orange or lemon juice, capers (for umami); even a combination of sherry and butter (plant-based off course).

Interesting links

• About the pairing knife, check this lovely post on why this knife is good for so much more than tormenting culinary students. And remember, a sharp knife is safer than a dull one 😊
• Qui la ricetta in italiano per le Scaloppine di sedano rapa alla birra

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Simona Scarone

Cucina, corsi, oli essenziali.
Insegno a cucinare in modo sano, testo e invento ricette “plant based” anche in video.
Scrivo racconti di cucina e non solo.

Cuisine, cooking lessons, essential oils.
I teach healthy cooking, test and create “plant based” recipes, also on video.
I write about food, and other stories.