Celery root schnitzel – a couple of years ago I would have run from this dish. It was one of the very few vegetarian options at our university cafeteria and I dreaded both the cafeteria and their deep fried mushy vegetable mess.
After a very long abstinence I decided to give the celery root schnitzel another chance. And this time I liked it so much that we had it twice in one week. We made a couple of changes to this classic vegetarian dish (in Germany) by using a couple of hazelnuts for the breading. We also served it with a macadamia rosemary cream instead of the remoulade that usually goes with this. And since I suck at breading and frying, we baked the celery root. That way the breading had a chance to stay where it was and not end up in a pan or deep fryer, leaving me with a naked vegetable.
Macadamia Rosemary Cream:
100 g (3/4 cup) roasted and salted macadamia nuts
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, minced
120 ml (1/2 cup) water
1 teaspoon lime or lemon juice
2 green kalamata olives
salt and pepper to taste
Place all ingerdients in a blender. Purée until smooth.
Celery Root Schnitzel (serves 2):
500 g (1 lb 2 oz) celery root, cut into 1.2 cm ( 0.5 inch) thick pieces and peeled.
breading:
80 g (2/3 cup) bread crumbs
50 g (2/3 cup) ground hazelnuts
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon fresh rosemary, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
80 ml (1/3 cup) water
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and brush with oil.
Steam the celery root slices for about 7 minutes. They should be soft but not mushy.
Mix all the breading ingredients and place in a soup plate. In a second soup plate, combine water and starch. Stir until the starch is dissolved.
Dip the celery slices in the water mixture and coat with breading. Place on the baking sheet and spray with oil.
Bake for 20 minutes, carefully flipping the schnitzel after 10 minutes.
Serve with macadamia cream.
Wow that looks so yummy!!
This, is awesome.
Mit panieren stehe ich auch etwas auf Kriegsfuß. Jetzt habe ich aber Eiersatz hier, vielleicht sollte ich es damit nochmal versuchen, denn ich mag Sellerie. Interessanter Tipp mit der Macadamiacreme.
I love celeriac! I had this amazing celery root “schnitzel” as you call it at a fabulous vegan restaurant in Wien. I did make it at home, but can’t wait to try your non-fried version with the cream sauce. Wow. Also in the queue are the cherry Topfengolatschen and Peanut Pea Soup.
Hi Andrea! Let me know how these turn out if you make them.
Here’s my plan. I got a really nice big celery root for the soup. Then I re-read your post and thought I’d make the soup with some of the celery root and some potatoes. And I’ll use the bulk of the celery root to make this! I’ll let you know the results. PS I saw another comment under my name, but it’s a different Andrea.
Do want! This looks amazing.
That looks delicious!!!
Wow – this is definitely the most intriguing recipe I’ve found of the week- I’ll definitely give this a try soon. Before I was vegan- schnitzel was a favorite – I like this version much better. :)
I hope you will like it! It doesn’t taste much like regular schnitzel, it’s a bit sweeter and of course the texture is very different. It’s still a delicious dish though.
I have never heard of this before. I’ll have to give this a try.
Now I know what to make using that celery root I’ve been eyeing at the Farmers Market. These look fabulous! I like baking burgers, eggplant, etc, better so as to keep everything in place as well. Plus I don’t have to use a ton of oil. T
I’ve never tried celery root before, but this is the second recipe I’ve seen that’s tempted me to go buy some. I might as well give in, the rosemary cream alone sounds amazing!
I saw the celeriac schnitzel recipe in one of my German cookbooks and was totally intrigued. I love your healthier rendition!
I love this recipe. I’ve never tried celery root before, maybe because I haven’t come across a really good recipe. I’m going to try this for sure.
Hi Mihl, I steamed the slices for longer than 10 minutes, then breaded them per the recipe. I put them in the hot oven, but they just wouldn’t brown much. I put them in a hot pan on the stove and crisped them a bit. I almost forgot to put the Macadamia Cream on the table! But it was a big hit! Even my daughter who hates celery really liked it. The cream worried me at first, but after a few seconds in the VitaMix, it got nice and thick. Thanks! I’ll post pictures on my blog (even though it’s a house renovations blog!)
Sometimes it helps to add a bit more oil to get them to brown properly. I am glad browning them in the pan worked, too. The Vitamix works magic when it comes to nut creams! I was also amazed how mild the celery root came out. I can imagine that the taste of raw cerery root is too much for some people. Glad your daughter liked it!
I just made these and they were delicious, and came out perfectly! I love celeriac and love that I just made a breaded thing without a panful of burnt crumbs, thank you! I subbed walnuts for the breading as I didn’t have any hazelnuts, but next time will try them for sure. I accompanied mine with a salad, but just wondered what they are traditionally served with over in Germany?
That’s a good question. I’d serve them with mashed potatoes and white gravy.