Celery Root Risotto: Creating Depth of Flavor

Last month, I wrote about my love for homemade Parmesan stock. While it is absolutely the “secret weapon for soup season” as I claimed, I want to demonstrate a different use for the stock which is one of my favorites: risotto.

Risotto is a great canvas to emphasize and layer flavors. This dish is a nice way to highlight the Parmesan stock and since risotto usually contains Parmesan cheese, it's an intense depth of Parmesan flavor. Let’s dive into a delicious recipe that is perfect for winter and highlights the homemade Parmesan stock: Celery Root and Parmesan risotto.

This recipe is going to use many risotto-making basics with the addition of one of my favorite techniques, finishing with a vegetable puree.

We are going to start with the puree which will be a celery root puree. I begin by infusing heavy cream with aromatics such as cloves, shallot, garlic, and fresh bay leaf. I added all of these to the cream, brought it to a gentle simmer and let it steep for 15 to 20 minutes.

While that steeped, I diced the celery root and added it to cold salted water. Like most root vegetables, I like to start celery root in cold water and bring it up to temperature together which results in a more evenly cooked food. Once it all came to a boil, I dropped to a simmer and cooked until the celery root was tender. Once cooked, I strained the celery root and cream mixture and combined them and blended them with an immersion blender until very smooth. This will give our risotto a super smooth and rich finish.

Next, we will start on the aromatics for the risotto. I have three small shallots and three cloves of garlic diced very finely. I essentially want them to almost dissolve into the dish.

In a pan, I melted a few tablespoons of butter and added in the shallots, once the shallots are translucent, I add in the garlic. I am being very intentional to not get any color at this point because that will discolor the dish, and I want the finished product to have a clean white appearance.

Once the garlic becomes fragrant, I add in the rice to coat it with all of the butter, which is a very effective way to flavor every individual grain of rice. Once all of the rice is coated, I deglaze with some white wine, which I reduce down until it's almost dry.

Now, it's time for the most important part of the process which is adding in the stock. I have five cups of my Parmesan stock warmed in a saucepan. I only want to see my stock steaming, if it's actively boiling, I am just wasting my stock as it evaporates before I can use it all. But, if it’s cold, it will draw out the process and take twice as long for the risotto to cook.

With a few ladles at a time, I cover the rice with the warm stock and let it simmer until the stock absorbs into the rice and the pan looks almost dry. That's when you add more stock. This process will be repeated until the rice is fully cooked which usually takes around 25 to 30 minutes. During this time, it is crucial that the rice is stirred almost constantly. This is important for two reasons:

1. The stirring agitates the starches which is what creates the classic creamy risotto consistency.
2. This keeps anything from becoming scorched on the bottom of the pan.

Once the rice is fully cooked, there are just a few finishing touches. Add in the celery root puree, some fresh grated nutmeg, lemon zest, and sherry vinegar. Now, we can add in the Parmesan cheese to finish, but it’s really important to do so after the heat is off so our cheese doesn’t clump. 

Our final result is a rich, creamy risotto with a great depth of flavor since we really took the time to layer in the Parmesan flavor by using it in multiple places. If you took the time to make the Parmesan stock, I hope you put it to good use and test out this recipe. 

Celery Root and Parmesan Risotto

Scroll down for a printable version of this recipe

Yields: 4 servings

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Total time: 1 hour

5 cups Parmesan stock

1 cup arborio rice

1/2 cup white wine

3 small shallots - fine dice

4 cloves garlic - 3 minced 1 whole

3 Tablespoons butter

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

1 celery root - peeled and medium dice

2 cups water

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 bay leaf

2 cloves

1 Tablespoon sherry vinegar

Zest of 1 lemon

Salt and fresh nutmeg to taste

1. Add cream, bay leaf, cloves, and whole garlic clove to small sauce pot, and simmer on low for 15 minutes.

2. Add diced celery root into a saucepan with water and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and drop to a simmer for 15 minutes or until tender.

3. Strain cream mixture, drain celery root and blend together until very smooth.

4. Warm 5 cups of Parmesan stock in a saucepan. 

5. Melt butter in a large sauté pan and add shallots and cook until translucent, then add garlic and cook until fragrant.

6. Add rice and coat with butter, then deglaze with wine and reduce until almost dry. 

7. Add enough warm stock to cover rice and simmer until stock is absorbed while stirring constantly. Repeat this process for 25-30 minutes or until rice is cooked.

8. Add celery root puree, nutmeg, lemon zest, and sherry vinegar.

9. Remove from heat and add parmesan and check for seasoning,. Serve immediately.

If you want to learn more about how to layer and balance flavors in your cooking, check out our Flavor Dynamics interactive demonstration class on Tuesday, January 14 at 6pm at Lincoln Square.

We also go into much deeper depth in laying flavors (as well as making risotto) in our 5-day Culinary Boot Camp. Learn how to cook in the new year with the help of this culinary immersion!