A bunch of

Ugly Beauties

My lover is not in the habit of bringing me bunches of flowers, but there are beautiful gestures all the same. The other morning he arrived home with a bunch of sweet, earthy smelling roots, primitive, ugly and with the beauty of a Leonardo da Vinci diagram.

Vegetables in their beautiful wholeness are a favourite muse of mine; I love to photograph them, smell them, and find ways to cook and eat them. This bunch sat on the kitchen table all day, the soft winter light illuminating the intricate forms of their root, and brought me joy. Each time I walk past them, I find that green smell reminding me of moss and dirt and Autumn. This is abundance and luxury.

Celeriac is the name of this root vegetable, which is a close relative of celery. Instead of growing the green stalks above the ground, celeriac puts its energy into forming this bulbous root. After slicing away the tough exterior, the flesh is pale and delicate, and when fresh is crisp and sweet. Fancy pants mashed potato sometimes has celeriac added, for its delicious aroma and flavour, but there are many other ways that it can be used. It can be roasted in olive oil, slightly caramelising and becoming creamy like a jerusalem artichoke. Sliced fine, celeriac adds an earthy warm taste when added to the onion / garlic part of any dish, and has a celery taste, with a very different texture. Excellent in risotto, especially with lemon. There are classic french salads made with grated raw celeriac and creamy mayonnaise.

This photo is about lifesize, but to comprehend my fascination, you'd better see the detail in this larger version, here.

Flowers in a vase don't last very long, but neither does a bunch of celeriac... We've eaten all but one of them already, in mash, fried with mushrooms, and a in a stew. With such love in my belly, winter is looking good.