Winter Vegetables-Celery Roots

by Zeyda Üstün

Vegetables are consumed in large quantities in Turkish cuisine and winter is the richest season as regards vegetable dishes! When winter vegetables such as celery, Jerusalem artichoke, cabbage, spinach, cauliflower, and leek combined with the summer vegetables which are still available, such as eggplant, string beans and zucchini, one can prepare numerous vegetable dishes.

In classical Turkish cuisine, vegetables are cooked with mince or meat if served warm. Practically all vegetables can be cooked in olive oil and are typically eaten at room temperature. Naturally the "au gratin" types of most vegetables are also very delicious.

I am not accustomed to using meat in my vegetable dish recipes. However, if you wish, you can convert the following recipes to some other delicious dish by adding ground or diced meat. Anyhow, the kitchen is a place, which you enjoy most when you use your creativity.

Here are my recipes, Afiyet Olsun (Bon appétit)!!

Celery root with olive oil - 4 servings
3 medium-sized pieces of celery (root and stalk)
1 medium-sized onion + 1 sugarcube
2 tablespoons peas and/or 1 chopped carrot
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt, sugar, dill

Chop the onions and cook over medium heat in a shallow saucepan with one sugarcube and water. Peel the celery roots, first cut them into round shapes and then divide them into four. I suggest that you put the peeled celery into water with lemon to prevent them from darkening. Place the celery and peas in the saucepan, and add salt and some more water. At the same time, slice some of the stalks of the celery and cook over medium heat. After cooking, add olive oil and stir lightly.

You can use the same recipe but adding orange. It is delicious. As soon as you put the celery into the saucepan, squeeze in the juice of one orange.

The elder members of my family used to slice the celery into round shapes and, after cooking, add the carrot, peas and dill over it and serve it like artichoke. This has a very attractive look.

Celery with sauce (served warm) 4 servings
3 medium-sized pieces of celery
1 medium-sized onion + 1 sugarcube
1 tablespoon margarine
1 egg yolk
½ lemon
2 teaspoons
Celery with sauce (served warm) 4 servings.

When egg yolks are beaten with some lemon and added to dishes served warm, it is called "terbiye" in Turkish cuisine. Terbiye is widely used in soups, meat and vegetables. Soften the diced onions and margarine in a shallow saucepan, add the chopped celery and cook. Then beat the egg yolk, lemon juice and 2-3 tablespoons of the juice from the main dish and the starch, and add the mixture to the main dish. Heat just to boiling and serve immediately.

The elder members of my family used to slice the celery into round shapes and, after cooking, add carrots and peas. This has a very colorful look.

Celery Salad
2 medium-sized celery roots
1 medium-sized carrot
thinly-sliced celery stalks
Mayonnaise
Minced parsley and olives to decorate

First, grate the carrots and then the celery. Since celery darkens very quickly, immediately mix it with mayonnaise. Add the grated carrots and thinly-sliced celery stalks. Decorate with parsley and olives.

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