Czech Comfort Food Recipe: Liver, Celery Root, and Onions in a Pot

Celeriac (Apium graveolens var. rapaceum) is also known as celery root, knob celery, and turnip-rooted celery. The root vegetable in the carrot and parsley family (Apiaceae) is a variety of celery (Apium graveolens var. dulce) and is native to the Mediterranean Basin.

Especially prevalent in eastern and northern European cuisines, celeriac may be enjoyed in raw or cooked states. Popular cooked preparations include:

• blanching,
• grilling,
• mashing,
• roasting,
• sautéing,
• steaming, and
• stewing.

Celeriac's nutritional attributes include:

• phosphorus, essential for cell metabolism, at 16 percent of recommended daily allowance;
• poly-acetylene antioxidants such as falcarinol, falcarindiol, methyl-falcarindiol, and panaxydiol, anti-cancer compounds which protect against colon cancer and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL);
• potassium, an essential mineral in regulating fluid balance, at 13 percent;
• low starch content at 5 to 6 percent by weight;
• Vitamin B_{6, known as pyridoxine, an essential nutrient which includes among its liver collaborations the creation of enzymes for fat and protein metabolism,} at 13 percent RDA;
• Vitamin C, which improves blood flow to the brain, at 10 percent RDA;
• Vitamin K, essential for normal blood clotting, at 39 percent RDA.

With its high Vitamin K content, celeriac should be consumed judiciously by patients with high dosage prescriptions for anticoagulants.

Consumption of celeriac has been found to minimize neuronal damage in Alzheimer patients.

Celeriac cultivars that have garnered the prestigious Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit designation include:

• 'Monarch,'
• 'Prinz,' and
• 'Rowena.'

Ingredients for 6 servings

Depending upon portion size, yields 4 to 6 servings.

2 Tablespoons butter

1 pound liver, sliced into small strips

1 large onion, chopped

1/2 clove garlic, minced

browned butter sauce (roux):  

• 4 Tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

4 cups boiling water

1-1/2 cups celery root, diced

parsley, minced, for garnish

1. In a medium pot, melt 2 Tablespoons of butter over low heat.

• Add garlic, liver, and onions when butter is half melted.

2. In a small saucepan, while liver mixture is browning:  

• Make roux (browned butter sauce) by adding 1/4 cup flour to 4 Tablespoons melted butter. 
• Sprinkle flour with 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.

3. When roux is golden brown, transfer to liver mixture and stir gently to mix.

• Add boiling water and celery root.
• Simmer over medium heat for about 25 minutes.

Remove from heat and serve hot.

According to taste, garnish with minced parsley.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet. 

celeriac: DocteurCosmos, CC BY SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Céleri-rave-fendu.jpg

Játra a cibule v hrnci: Dezidor, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Játra_a_cibule_v_hrnci.jpg