Without question, this roasted celery root steak makes a lovely vegetarian meal. It’s a good alternative on a meatless day, perfect as a light lunch or dinner, made in less than 20 minutes. Green peas, carrots and cheese add the texture and they pair wonderfully with celeriac.
Vegetable steaks, like cauliflower, are a popular food trend. Yes, this trend has gone viral on social media. I can see why, but maybe it’s a bit exaggerated. After all, it’s just a slice of vegetable. And, as a meat lover, only meat can be called a steak. Wink. Anyway. Not because of the trend but because the vegetables taste delicious, I am happy to share this flavourful celery root steak with you.
I like celery root. The reason why I name it root and not just celery, is because celery is another plant. Celery root or celeriac and celery or celery stalks still belong to the same family. In fact, the ugly and strange vegetable, the celery root and the green stalks are cousins.
Having said that, don’t let the looks trick you. This tuber tastes delicious. The celery root is packed with flavours. More, it delivers an earthy, buttery and nutty quality. Yummy.
Besides being incredibly delicious it’s very versatile and a good alternative to potatoes, as well. But many people don’t know how to use it. For instance, you can cook it, bake it, roast it, mash it, put it in a creamy soup, hummus, dip or salad and of course, you can eat it raw.
More, it is loaded with important minerals and vitamins, which bring you impressive health benefits. Besides vitamin C, it is high in vitamin K, important for your bone health, too. Celeriac is very low in calories and is perfect if you count your calories throughout the day. Wink.
Of course, I could pair it with meat. But, since I was already making a “steak” and I wanted to keep it vegetarian, I used green peas and carrots. They pair great with celery and add a slightly sweet flavour, which keeps the celery root the star of the plate.
As a final touch, I grabbed a delicious crumbly cheese, Manchego. This is a firm and compact sheep cheese with a characteristic flavour. More, through the ageing process it develops a not too strong salty and tangy flavour. I love it.
Here are some more of my favourite vegetarian recipes, which you might like: honey figs cheese stuffed mushrooms, a simple lemon risotto, beautiful Hasselback potatoes, a classic parmigiana di melanzane or these baked beetroot falafels.
Ingredients for one portion of celery root steak:
- olive oil
- 1 celery root (1,5 cm thick slices)
- nutmeg
- half a carrot (diced)
- 150-200 g frozen peas
- dill (seasoning, garnish)
- salt
- Manchego cheese (garnish)
To begin, preheat the oven to 200º C. Then, clean and peel the celery root. Slice it into 1,5 cm thick rounds or steaks. Wash the carrot and dice it.
Furthermore, drizzle some olive oil in a smaller frying pan. When it gets hot, add the celery root steak, grate some nutmeg on top and brown it for 4 minutes on each side. Once the steak is golden brown, transfer it in the oven for 8-10 minutes or until tender.
Five minutes before the celeriac is ready, prepare the peas. In a small pan, drizzle some olive oil, add the diced carrots and roast it for a couple of minutes. Next, stir in the frozen peas and chopped dill. Cook until warm all the way through. In the end, season to taste and if you like, add a small amount of butter.
Finally, arrange the celery root steak onto a plate and top it with the bright green peas. Finish with some grated Manchego cheese (or any other cheese) on top.
Enjoy.
