The Melting Teapot

Delicious food can sometimes happen almost accidentally, when out of necessity we substitute something unusual for the familiar.  One of those lucky moments happened for me yesterday.

While grabbing items from the frig to make Cheese Quesadillas with Pico de Gallo salsa, I realized we were out of a primary ingredient for the salsa --  tomatoes.  I did a quick review of what actually was on hand, thought about how wonderful apples and cheese are together…then, after remembering the fresh celeriac (celery root) from my produce delivery box, thought about the nice celeriac and apple salads I’ve had in the past, and…  Voila!

The result was a new take on pico de gallo, which was crunchy and almost salad-like, yet retained the spicy acidity that works so well to offset the richness of a cheesy quesadilla. In this case, the quesadillas were made with two flour tortillas filled with a layer of grated cheddar and horseradish cheeses.  The flavor was mellow but with enough zing to hold its own against the heat of the jalapeno.

My Accidental Recipe

Apple – Celeriac “Pico de Gallo”

1 celeriac (celery root), peeled and sliced into very thin strips

1 apple, sliced very thin

1 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed, chopped fine (use more or less jalapeno, depending on your heat tolerance)

3 green onions, chopped fine

¼ cup chopped cilantro

Juice of 1-2 fresh limes

1 tablespoon olive oil

Toss the above ingredients together, then add salt & pepper to taste.

Tips:

1. Choose a celery root and apple that are close to the same size.
2. Try using a mandoline slicer for both the apple and celery root, so you can get them very thin.
3. If you are one of those people who hate cilantro, use Italian parsley or fresh mint.

Suggested Pairing

Instead of wine, we had pints of chilled Strongbow Hard Cider, which were delightfully refreshing.  Apple ciders are a great pairing with any Mexican food.

If you'd prefer wine, I've found in the past that a riesling from Washington state or British Columbia work very well with the elements in this meal.  Our rieslings here tend to be a little lighter and drier than German Rieslings, and they often have flavor profiles of apple and pear which would echo the apple on the plate.  Even though they tend to be drier, there is usually enough sweetness to offset the heat from the peppers.