Braising Vegetables

My favorite thing about braising is that it is hard to do wrong.

The idea is that you have an ingredient (say, a duck leg), or a bunch of ingredients (duck, carrots, prunes), which you partially submerge in a liquid (stock, wine, melted fat, or even water) well-seasoned with aromatics and spices (bay leaf, salt, garlic), then cover tightly, and cook on low heat for a long time. In meat, braising will ease tendons, render fat, and transform tough muscles into tender meat.

But you can also braise vegetables and winter roots and bulbs are perfect candidates for this slow, moist cooking. Braising softens the firm, starchy flesh of parsnips, fennel, celery root, sunchokes, and potatoes. Once dense, the flesh turns forkable; its flavors, freed.

Perhaps the best thing about braising is its economy of effort: In the act of cooking one item, you end up with two. The braising liquid–whether of duck or celery root–can strike out on its own and find use in other dishes.

Below is the recipe, excerpted from The Nimble Cook:

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Celeriac Braised in White Wine with Coriander
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2 ½ pounds trimmed and peeled celery root (up to 4 pounds whole)*
3 cups water
1/3 cup white wine
5 sprigs thyme or 1 or 2 sprigs sage
1 bay leaf
1 ½ tablespoons coarse kosher salt
1 tablespoon excellent olive oil
3 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
½ teaspoon coriander seeds, roughly crushed
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Preheat oven to 350 F.

Cut celery root into ½-inch thick slices (half moons are okay, too). Place snugly in a Dutch oven**, no more than two layers deep. Add the water, wine, thyme, bay leaf, salt, olive oil, garlic, coriander, and olive oil. The celery root won't be fully submerged. That's okay.

Cover tightly and bring to a quick boil over high heat, then place in the oven.

Braise until the celeriac is soft enough to be pierced easily with a fork, 30 to 45 minutes,

Cool in braising liquid. As it cools, taste for salt and, if needed, add it while still warm. Serve immediately or store in the braising liquid for up to 5 days. Pictured, I've topped with fresh tomatillo salsa and walnuts.

*How much usable celeriac you get varies by what gets trimmed away, but the only possible way to write an accurate recipe is with the post-prepped amount. Guestimates are okay if you don't have a kitchen scale!
**If you don't have a Dutch oven, place the celeriac in a roasting pan. Bring the remaining ingredients to a boil in a separate pot before adding to the celeriac. Cover very tightly with foil and allow a little extra time to cook.