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Our family is going to try a new fruit or vegetable every time we get together…well at least my sister and I are going to try one…the kids? We’ll see

This year we tried Celeriac

Here’s some information about it from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia…..

Celeriac (Apium graveolens Rapaceum Group) (also known as ‘celery root,’ ‘turnip-rooted celery’ or ‘knob celery’) is a specially selected cultivar group of celery, grown as a root vegetable for its large and well-developed taproot rather than for its stem and leaves. The root is used when it is about 10-12 cm in diameter, or the size of a large potato. Celeriac may be used raw or cooked. It is best to peel celeriac before use, since the outer skin is tough and stringy. It has the flavor of celery, so it is often used as a flavoring in soups and stews; it can also be mashed or used in casseroles and baked dishes. The hollow stalk of the upper plant can be cut into drinking straw lengths, rinsed out, and used for tomato drinks such as the Bloody Mary. The tomato juice moving through the stalk is lightly permeated with the celery flavor. Nutritionally, celeriac is low in carbohydrates.

It is not as popular as other root vegetables, especially in the western hemisphere, very possibly because of its garish appearance before cleaning: it has been described as “a vegetable octopus” or “Rastafarian turnip” in reference to the tangle of rootlets that grow at the base.

There are numerous cultivars available, especially in Europe, where root vegetables are popular. Among the types are ‘Prinz’, ‘Diamant’, ‘Ibis’, and ‘Kojak’, which all received Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit designation in the year 2000 trials.

Celeriac keeps well and should last three to four months if stored between 0° and 5° C and if not allowed to dry out.

15ml / 1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 heads of celeriac 900g / 2lbs
salt and pepper
100g / 3ozs butter
150ml / 1/4 pt dry white wine
175g / 6ozs gruyere grated
75g / 3ozs parmesan grated

Place the celeriac which you have peeled and cut into chunks in a bowl of cold water.

Drain and then put in a pan of salted water, boil for 10 mins.

Drain and melt the butter in a flame proof dish.

Add the celeriac and turn to coat. Stir in the wine, mix together the gruyere and the parmesan.

Sprinkle over the top of the celeriac add salt and pepper to taste.

Bake in the oven at 190c or 375f gas 5 for 30 mins.

Until the celeriac is tender and golden brown.

Serve with a fresh salad for a lighter meal at Christmas, or serve as part of a main meal

Serves 4 to 6

On our family quest to try new fruits and vegetables, Fennel or Sweet Anise was chosen for Christmas 2007.

It seemed a natural with the slight flavor of licorice as an addition to others like gingerbread and the like…

Here’s the info on fennel from Wikipedia

Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) is a species in the genus Foeniculum (treated as the sole species in the genus by most botanists), native to the Mediterranean region and southwestern Asia, from Morocco and Portugal east to Pakistan, and north to southern France and Bulgaria. It is a member of the family Apiaceae, formerly the Umbelliferae.

It is a highly aromatic perennial herb, erect, glaucous green, and grows to 2.5 m tall, with hollow stems. The leaves grow up to 40 cm long; they are finely dissected, with the ultimate segments filiform, about 0.5 mm wide. Its leaves are similar to those of dill, yet slightly thinner in comparison. The flowers are produced in terminal compound umbels 5–15 cm wide, each umbel section with 20–50 tiny yellow flowers on short pedicels. The fruit is a dry seed from 4–10 mm long, half as wide or less, and grooved.

Fennel is widely cultivated, both in its native range and elsewhere, for its edible, strongly-flavoured leaves and seeds. The flavour is similar to that of anise and star anise, though usually not so strong.

The bulb, foliage, and seeds of the fennel plant are widely used in many of the culinary traditions of the world. Fennel pollen is the most potent form of fennel, but it is exceedingly expensive. Dried fennel seed is an aromatic, anise-flavoured spice; they are brown or green in colour when fresh, and slowly turn a dull grey as the seed ages. For cooking, green seeds are optimal.

Many cultures in the Indian subcontinent and the Middle East incorporate fennel seed into their culinary traditions. It is an essential ingredient in the Bengali/Oriya spice mixture panch phoron and in Chinese five-spice powders. It is known as saunf or mauti saunf in Hindi and Urdu, mouri in Bengali, shombu or peruncheeragam in Tamil language, variyali in Gujarati, and barishap in the malay language. In the west, fennel seed is a very common ingredient in Italian sausages and northern European rye breads.

Many egg, fish, and other dishes employ fresh or dried fennel leaves. Florence fennel is a key ingredient in some Italian and German salads, often tossed with chicory and avocado, or it can be braised and served as a warm side dish. It may be blanched and/or marinated, or cooked in risotto. In all cases, the leaves lend their characteristically mild, anise-like flavour.

•2 fennel bulbs (thick base of stalk) stalks cut off, bulbs sliced
•Olive oil
•Balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Rub just enough olive oil over the fennel to coat. Sprinkle on some balsamic vinegar, also to coat. Line baking dish with aluminum foil. Lay out piece of fennel and roast for 15-20 minutes, until the fennel is cooked through and beginning to caramelize.

Serves 4.

A satsuma orange is a variety of a Mandarin Orange.

The Mandarin orange or mandarin is a small citrus tree (Citrus reticulata) with fruit resembling the orange. The fruit is oblate, rather than spherical, and roughly resembles a pumpkin in shape. Mandarin oranges are usually eaten plain, or in fruit salads. Specifically reddish orange mandarin cultivars can be marketed as tangerines, but this is not a botanical classification.

The tree is more tolerant to drought than the fruit. The mandarin is tender, and is damaged easily by cold. It can be grown in tropical and subtropical areas. In the United States, they are grown in Florida, Texas, South Carolina, Arizona, and California.

Satsuma is said to be the orange of Japan since this country is the leading cultivator of this citrus fruit. Many people call it a tangerine type of orange, but most people prefer to call it a satsuma Mandarin, which is botanically identified as Citrus unshiu marcovitch.

Home gardeners generally prefer satsuma oranges because of their small size, sweet and juicy taste and easy peeling technique.

The origin of satsuma oranges is perhaps China, but 700 years ago, it was reported in Japan, which is now the dominating satsuma orange market. This citrus fruit is preferably grown in the cool subtropical regions of Japan, Spain, central China, Turkey, Russia, South Africa, South America and in California and Florida.

Satsuma oranges have a very good cold tolerance system. They can survive in temperatures as low as 15 degree Celsius.

Satsuma trees are not very large, are more or less thornless with less foliage and grow in an open habitat. Leaves are large, green, lanceolate and flowers are white. The fruit is a medium to small shaped sphere, the flesh is brilliant reddish orange, tender, and melts with a mild acidic flavor.

The season for satsuma oranges is usually November-December. Once the fruit is ripe, it is too strong for the branch to hold. It should be picked soon and stored well. However, storing satsuma is not a problem since it has a tremendous cold tolerance.

While consuming fresh satsuma is always advisable, in Japan, China, and Spain it is quite popular in the form of canned juice. Sometimes, satsuma juice is blended with orange juice to improve the color. It can also be used in salad dressings and as an ingredient with poultry dishes.

Like all other citrus fruits, satsuma is an excellent source of vitamin C and is enriched with fiber and folate.

The mandarin has many names, some of which actually refer to crosses between the mandarin and another citrus fruit. Most canned mandarins are of the satsuma variety, of which there are over 200 cultivars. SATSUMAS are known as mikan in Japan. One of the more well-known satsuma cultivars is the “Owari”, which ripens during the late fall season in the Northern Hemisphere. Clementines, however, have displaced satsumas in many markets, and are becoming the most important commercial mandarin variety.

The mandarin is easily peeled with the fingers, starting at the thin rind covering the depression at the top of the fruit, and can be easily spilt into even segments without spilling juice. This makes it convienient to eat, as one doesn’t require utensils to peel or cut the fruit.

The tangor, which is also called the temple orange, is a cross between the mandarin and the common orange. Its thin rind is easy to peel; and its pale orange pulp is spicy, full-flavored, and tart.

The rangpur is a cross between the mandarin and the lemon.

BIOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Citrus fruit varieties are usually self-fertile (needing a bee only to move pollen within the same flower) or parthenocarpic (not needing pollination and therefore seedless) (such as satsumas). Blossoms from the Dancy cultivar, for example, are an exception. They are self sterile, therefore must have a pollenizer variety to supply pollen, and a high bee population to make a good crop. Furthermore, some varieties, notably clementines, are usually seed free, but will develop seeds if cross-pollinated with a seeded citrus. Thus, great efforts are taken to isolate clementine orchards from any seeded citrus varieties.

ETHNOMEDICAL USES
The dried peel of the fruit of C. Reticulata is used in the regulation of ch’i in Traditional Chinese medicine
The peel is also used to treat abdominal distention, enhance digestion, and to reduce phlegm.

Caramelized Satsuma Pancakes

For the pancakes
75g/3oz plain flour
1 egg
150ml/ 1/4 pint milk
vegetable oil, to brush
For the caramelized satsuma
55g/2oz caster sugar
30g/1oz unsalted butter
1 Satsuma, peeled and segmented
1 miniature bottle of Grand Marnier
2 tbsp heavy cream
6-8 scoops of vanilla ice-cream, to serve
heavy cream, to drizzle
powdered sugar, to dust

Method
1. To make the pancakes mix the flour and eggs into a bowl and, stirring all the time, add enough milk to give a smooth batter the consistency of double cream.
2. Heat a small non-stick frying pan brushed with a little vegetable oil and ladle the batter into the pan, swirling the pan to evenly spread.
3. Gently fry for 1-2 minutes each side, tossing to turn.
4. Repeat with the remaining batter to make 6-8 pancakes.
5. To make the caramel, place the sugar in a heavy-based pan and cook over a low heat until dissolved and a caramel has formed.
6. Add the butter and satsuma segments and shake the pan until the segments are well coated in the caramel.
7. Pour the grand marnier and cream into the pan and cook gently until evenly dispersed and slightly thickened, swirling the pan occasionally.
8. Place the pancakes onto serving plates and place a scoop of ice cream in the centre. Fold in half and then half again.
9. Pour the satsuma caramel over the pancakes.
10. Serve drizzled with cream and with a dusting of icing sugar.

recipe from http://www.bbc.co.uk/food

http://www.millerscitrusgrove.com/