Creamy mashed cauliflower and celery root that makes a superb side dish. An easy vegetarian recipe that’s ready to eat within 15 minutes.

It’s tough to find sides that aren’t high in carbohydrates, so I’m delighted to have discovered this nice combination of cauliflower and celery. Throw the main ingredients in a pot, let it steam for a while, then blend everything together. For another side-dish, try the steamed and fried cabbage

The result turns out quite white, which is nice when presented with other food. Your colourful mains, and sauces, have a strong contrast to the side.

I however, wanted to add an extra flair for my dinner. Covering it with mozzarella the roasting it, the result came out beautiful. It was hard to scoop onto platers though. That’s why for the photos I baked it in individual serving dishes. Either way, it taste delicious.

You can leave off the cheese topping to save some effort. But, if you prepare the purée in advance anyway, you might as well warm it up in the oven with the cheese. Once the cheese is browned, turn the temperature down to around 80°C and let it warm up until ready to serve.

Creamy Cauliflower Celery Purée

Ingredients

Mash

1. 2 medium 0.4 kilogram
   Cauliflower
2. 200 g
   Celeriac
3. 1 clove
   Garlic

Cream

1. 100 g
   Sweet CreamButter
2. 60 g
   Cream Cheese
3. 2 teaspoon
   Fennel Seedground
4. ¹⁄₂ teaspoon
   Peppercornground
5. 2 pod
   Cardamomground
6. ¹⁄₂ teaspoon
   Salt

Roast

1. 50 g
   HardMozarellashredded (optional)

Equipment

• stove
• medium pot
• oven (optional)
• inversion blender

Directions

Mash

1. Chop the cauliflower into large chunks and place them in the pot.
2. Chop the celeriac into large chunks and place them in the pot.
3. Add the garlic to the pot.
4. Add water to the pot, to roughly half the level of the vegetables.
5. Bring the water to a boil and then turn down the heat. Let the water simmer for 10 minutes.
6. Drain the water from the pot, leaving the vegetables inside.

Cream

1. Add the butter, cream cheese, fennel, pepper, salt, and cardamom to the pot.
2. Blend the ingredients until smooth.
3. The purée is ready to serve. Or you may roast it with cheese.

Roast

1. Transfer the mash into individual oven-safe serving dishes, or a large casserole dish.
2. Sprinkle the shredded mozarella over the mash.
3. Place on the top-rack and set to roast (top element, high temperature). Watch carefully for when the cheese browns. This takes from 3 to 5 minutes.