Ugly delicious (ohh yeah!) and awesome, here’s the Hasselback Roasted Celeriac: it’s plant-based and gluten-free… Happy times!

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 😀

Celeriac is your friend! Is one of those amazing, underrated vegetables that everyone should know about. You just have to know how to cook it.

This “roast-like” version is really simple, beautiful to present and super tasty to eat… The celeriac, especially when roasted, has a creamily tender middle, with its typical nutty character that baking enhances—it’s absolutely delicious! 

And, with its festive roasted veg vibe, it’s a perfect addition to holiday tables 🥳

You don’t need to peel it (except for the wriggly parts), yet, it does need to be washed very well. So, grab a good vegetable brush, to get rid of the soil between the tough knots; remove only the root part, and get a base to keep the celeriac standing.

Could be roasted whole but, if you slice it (like you would with Hasselback potatoes), all the seasoning magically seeps within the cuts, infusing the celeriac with all that rich flavor!

Recipe for the Hasselback Roasted Celeriac

That said, for this recipe, you have two options to experiment with:

1. Slice it (Hasselbach style) while raw
2. Pre-cook it whole (for 10 to 12 minutes) in boiling water and then slice it.

In the first case you must have a “sharp” long-bladed knife that cuts very well. In the second, it will be easier to slice and you’ll cut the baking time by half (but you may not necessarily have time for precooking).

You can tray them both, we’ll give you the “raw” version (without precooking). The trick is to properly slice the whole celeriac.

[servings: 4 | total time: 1 hour 30 min (30 min prep + 60 min cooking) | 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 medium-small celeriac root
• 1 bunch of fresh aromatic herbs (thyme – marjoran – sage, etc.)
• 1 tablespoon gromage (try our recipe for Ottimo grated fauxmage plant-based)
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 round of freshly ground black pepper
• 40 g walnuts
• 1 Medjool date
• 2 dried apricots
• 20 g dried blueberries
• 15 g white wine
• 300 g mixed mushrooms (portobello and/or cream champignons)
• 4 tablespoons oil (*)
• 1 clove of garlic (optional)

About the oil (*) – Unless otherwise specified, we use organic and cold-pressed evo oil, or sunflower seed oil (the high-oleic type for frying).

Tools

• Baking sheet
• Baking paper
• Aluminium foil
• Two identical wooden spoons (both handles should be the same size)
• Cutting board
• Well-sharpened knife
• Vegetable brush

Directions

1. Thoroughly wash the celeriac and cut off the root part to form a flat base on which it will rest.
2. Place the two wooden spoons on either side of the celeriac and slice it… (Mind your fingers please!)
   • The two spoons will stop the knife stroke so that the slices will stick together.
3. Set it aside and prepare the dressing.
4. Wash, dry and chop the herbs. Place them in a bowl with the gromage and salt.
5. Knife chop walnuts, dates, apricots and blueberries.
6. Clean and coarsely chop the mushrooms.
7. It is time to preheat the oven to 180 °C (350 °F).
8. Cut a sheet of baking paper (and one of foil) large enough to enclose the celeriac.
9. Season it, with the mixture of herbs and gromage, by gently opening the slices so that they do not fall apart.
10. Then do the same with the chopped nuts-fruits mix and top with two tablespoons of oil.
11. Place the mushrooms around the celeriac and season with the remaining oil, a pinch of salt, a round of black pepper, the white wine, and the whole garlic clove (if you decide to use it).
12. Close the foil and bake it for 60 minutes.
13. To check the cooking time, the toothpick test is great (better if long one), which should penetrate very easily.
    • Note that the celeriac should be well cooked. If needed, extend the time in the oven.
    • Should be crispy on the outside and creamy in the middle

After all, it may be a bit ugly as an ingredient, but it is really very nice to present on the table as a “secondo” main course: mouthwatering… kind of like drooling! 🤤

Feel free to vary, by using other vegetables instead of mushrooms and/or other herbs.

Interesting links

• La ricetta in italiano per l’Arrosto di sedano rapa ‘Hasselback’ style

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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.