Puree of Cauliflower, Celery Root and Potato with Turkey

With Winter here I like to cook foods that are warming and grounding and that includes lots of root vegetables. I have created a puree of celery root, also known as celeriac mashed with potato, cauliflower and cream. Celery root is popular in Eastern Europe and is gaining in popularity here. The root is roughly the size of an orange and appears gnarly and knobby with tiny rootlets. Inside it’s like a potato, but lower in carbs and packed with vitamins B6, K, and C as well as minerals potassium, manganese, and phosphorus. As you know, I often provide recipes without precise measurements; this allows you to make adjustments based on your preferences, your palate, and/or what’s in your fridge. For example, if you don’t have cauliflower, simply make this a celery root and potato puree or just a cauliflower puree with potato. Cooking is meant to be fun, to experiment and allow yourself the freedom to cook from your heart, without always adhering to a recipe. I feel that recipes are meant more as guidelines to which you can add your own creative touch.

I celery root, peeled and cut into chunks

2 red or yellow potatoes

1/2 head cauliflower

Approx 1/2 cup turkey or chicken broth

Approx 1/2 cup heavy cream

Sea salt and pepper

Turkey or chicken breast

Steam all the vegetables until they are done, not al dente, but soft enough to mash. For the next part, I use my cuisinart food processor. If you don’t have a food processor, you can mash by hand or use an immersion blender. I don’t recommend a regular blender as it over beats the vegetables and turns them into a slimy mush. Puree or mash the cooked vegetables adding broth and heavy cream to get the consistency of mashed potatoes. Add salt and pepper to taste. I placed sliced turkey breast on top of my puree. You can use any type of meat for this dish. Since I was away for Thanksgiving and did eat turkey, nor did I have it at Christmas, I was ready to eat turkey now. My preferred method of cooking a turkey breast is to slow cook it in my crock pot. I add water halfway up, and to this I added a couple of carrots, two pieces of celery, 1/2 onion, 2 cloves of garlic and I threw in some slices of tumeric root (a major antioxidant and anti inflammatory). Then I slow cooked it for 8 hours. After cooking, I also had the perfect broth to add to my puree. It was a simple and perfect winter meal, warming and nourishing. I hope you enjoy.