Celery Root-Apple Slaw with Pecorino, Parsley, and Pine Nuts

Celery Root Apple Slaw croppedSeeds of Change

I’m restless and bored. It happens every year. It’s a vicious cycle. This time of year the produce available is less than exciting and, to add insult to injury, my seed catalogs start arriving in my mailbox.

Note to self: You should never look at a seed catalog when all you have been eating non stop for the past few months is cabbage, root veggies and squash. It’s kinda like the rule that says you should never go to the grocery store hungry. You’re going to come home with way more than you need—not to mention a few things that you will never eat.

My Burpee seed catalog has so many flagged seeds and plants that it has a fringe. Really? Do I need 14 different types of tomatoes? My color-deprived palate says yes. The husband? Not so much. And lets not forget the current rain situation, and the fact that I am not farming commercially. Space is actually an issue. (Though I could start my own CSA…hmmmmmm.)

Needless to say I have been on the hunt for something to brighten up the winter produce blahs and, I think I found it in the February-March edition of Fine Cooking magazine. They have a spread on winter slaws, and they are all gorgeous. There is a Fennel Slaw with Grapefruit, Cracked Pepper and Pistachios that looks way too pretty to eat.

My personal fav is the Celery Root-Apple Slaw with Pecorino, Parsley and Pine Nuts. It’s perfect with a simple Roast Chicken which, for us, is a weekly staple.

Hopefully, these options will help brighten up your plates until the coming of peas, asparagus, fava beans, and cherries. Let the countdown begin, and pray for rain!

Celery Root-Apple Slaw with Pecorino, Parsley, and Pine Nuts
Fine Cooking Magazine

Ingredients
1 medium celery root (about 1-1/2 lb.), peeled, quartered, and cut into a julienne
2 Granny Smith apples, quartered, cored, and cut into a julienne
1-1/2 cups fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, loosely packed
Flaky sea salt, such as Maldon
4 oz. shaved Pecorino Toscano or manchego (about 1-1/2 cups)
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, more for drizzling
1/4 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted
2 tsp. apple-cider vinegar; more to taste
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Place the celery root, apple, and parsley in a large bowl. Crumble 1 teaspoon sea salt into the bowl and toss the ingredients together. Add about three-quarters of the cheese, the oil, nuts, vinegar, and several grinds of pepper. Gently toss to combine well. Season to taste with salt and vinegar.

Serve immediately, drizzled with more oil, sprinkled with additional pepper, and topped with the remaining cheese.

Tip
Leaving the skin on the apples gives each end of the apple sticks a bit of color, differentiating them visually from the celery root.

RECIPE by Mindy Fox
PHOTOGRAPH by Scott Phillips

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