Zeytinyağlı Kereviz Yemeği (or Braised Celeriac) is a delicious Turkish & Mediterranean dish made with celery root and carrots braised in olive oil and orange juice. This healthy dish combines the nutty and earthy celeriac with sweet carrots and citrusy oranges. You can serve it as a vegetarian side dish or main meal along with some Black Pepper Sourdough Focaccia.
Jump to:
- What is Celeriac?
- Turkish Style Braised Celeriac - Zeytinyağlı Kereviz Yemeği
- Why This Recipe Works?
- Ingredients and Substitutes
- How to Make Zeytinyağlı Kereviz Yemeği?
- Top Tips From the Chef
- How to Serve Zeytinyagli Kereviz - Braised Celeriac?
- Recipe FAQs
- Related Recipes
- Zeytinyağlı Kereviz Yemeği - Braised Celeriac
"Zeytinyağlı" (braised in olive oil) dishes are highly popular in Turkey and often served cold or at room temperature. They are extremely easy to make using only a few simple ingredients and seasonal vegetables. A good quality olive oil is necessary as it highlights the flavor of zeytinyağlı dishes and it will make a huge difference in flavor.
Some of my favorite zeytinyağlı dishes are Zeytinyağlı Pırasa Yemeği (Turkish Braised Leeks), Imam Bayildi (Turkish Stuffed Eggplant), and Mediterranean Green Beans (Zeytinyagli Taze Fasulye).
What is Celeriac?
Celeriac also known as celery root, knob celery, or turnip-rooted celery is a type of root vegetable that usually grows during cold winter months. It is one of the under-rated vegetables because of its knobbly, odd shape. It tastes like celery and has a slightly nutty flavor which pairs perfectly with the sweetness of the carrot and the citrusy flavor of the orange juice.
Check out my Roasted Cauliflower Soup with Celeriac recipe for more ideas about cooking with celeriac.
Turkish Style Braised Celeriac - Zeytinyağlı Kereviz Yemeği
This simple yet extremely delicious zeytinyagli celeriac dish is very popular in Turkey, especially during the winter months. It doesn't require many ingredients so the best practice is to use the freshest ingredients you can find.
The star ingredient of Zeytinyağlı Kereviz Yemeği is the celeriac, which is also known as celery root or knob celery. It has a strong earthy and slightly nutty flavor note that pairs perfectly with the mixture of orange and lemon juice, giving a beautiful sour flavor with hints of sweetness.
Why This Recipe Works?
- It is extremely easy to make this Turkish Style Braised Celeriac - Zeytinyağlı Kereviz Yemeği with a few simple ingredients.
- Celeriac contains a ton of antioxidants, strengthens your bones, improves digestion, and even general heart health!
- The leftovers would keep fresh for up to a week when refrigerated in an airtight container.
- One portion of this delicious Turkish-style braised celeriac dish contains 267 kcal!
- You can serve Zeytinyagli Kereviz Yemeği as a side dish to many grilled chicken, or fish dishes as well as a main meal itself along with some crusty bread on the side.
- This is possibly one of the best recipes for celeriac, Zeytinyağlı Kereviz Yemeği is a delightful, and tender vegetable dish with delicate flavors.
Ingredients and Substitutes
- Celeriac - When buying celeriac, look for firm and heavy ones without any soft spots, and with smooth skin.
- Orange juice - Use freshly squeezed orange juice for the best flavor.
- Carrots - They add extra texture, color, and sweetness to Zeytinyağlı Kereviz Yemeği - Braised Celeriac dish.
- Potato - Potato and celeriac pair perfectly as they both have an earthy&sweet flavor.
- Lemon - I use freshly squeezed lemon juice for this dish. You need half of a lemon to brighten all the flavors in this braised celeriac recipe. Lemon juice also helps to balance the sweetness of the carrots.
- Olive oil - It is an important ingredient to achieve the best taste in this braised celeriac dish as well as other olive oil-based dishes such as Yaprak Sarma - Stuffed Grape Leaves and Biber Dolmasi - Turkish Stuffed Peppers.
How to Make Zeytinyağlı Kereviz Yemeği?
Although making Zeytinyağlı Kereviz Yemeği - Braised Celeriac is very easy, you need to follow a few simple steps to achieve the best results:
Start with preparing the vegetables. Peel the carrots, cut them into chunky dice, and then set them aside.
To prepare the celeriac, remove the thick skin carefully with a very sharp knife and then cut off the top and bottom.
Chop the celeriac up into slices, then into rough 2 ½ cm (1") cubes, and set them aside along with the carrots.
Place a pan on medium-low heat and add the olive oil, and then sauté the onions until soft and translucent.
Add the diced carrots along with the potatoes, and sauté them for a few minutes.
Add the celeriac, and then cook them for a few more minutes before adding the orange juice, lemon juice, sugar, and salt.
Bring the mixture to a boil, cover the Dutch oven with a lid, and then let it simmer over low heat for about 30 minutes, until the vegetables are softened but not mushy.
Transfer the dish to a serving plate, sprinkle on celery leaves or dill, and then let it cool down to room temperature before serving.
Please scroll down to the recipe card below for the full ingredients list with measurements, complete recipe method, recipe notes, and nutritional information.
Top Tips From the Chef
- A good quality olive oil is necessary as it highlights the flavor of zeytinyağlı dishes and it will make a huge difference in flavor.
- Don't overpower Zeytinyağlı Kereviz Yemeği with spices and flavorings, keep it as a simple, delightful, and tender vegetable dish with delicate flavors.
- Use freshly squeezed lemon juice and orange juice for the best flavor and also to balance the sweetness of the carrots.
How to Serve Zeytinyagli Kereviz - Braised Celeriac?
This braised celeriac dish is perfect to serve on its own as a light main meal along with a few slices of crusty, rustic bread to mop up the delicious and zingy olive oil sauce.
You can also serve it as a side dish with Baked Sea Bass in Foil - Firinda Levrek, Baked Cod with Panko, Mediterranean Baked Salmon, Perde Pilavi, or Dutch Oven Whole Roast Chicken.
Recipe FAQs
The leftovers would keep fresh for up to a week when refrigerated in an airtight container.
You don't need to reheat them, they taste amazing at room temperature or even straight out of the fridge!
Apart from potatoes and carrots, the best vegetables to pair with celeriac are turnips, swede, shallots, parsnips, onion, and garlic.
Related Recipes
For more delicious Turkish vegan side dishes why not try:
Did you make this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out! Leave a comment below and tag @cookingorgeous on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingorgeous.
I hope you enjoy the process of making this Braised Celeriac - Zeytinyagli Kereviz Yemegi as much as you enjoy eating it! 🙂
Bon appétit! / Afiyet olsun!
Zeytinyağlı Kereviz Yemeği - Braised Celeriac
Equipment
- 1 peeler
Ingredients
- 50 ml good quality olive oil
- 1 medium onion (diced)
- 1 medium carrot (diced)
- 750 g celeriac (diced)
- 1 medium potato (diced)
- 200 ml orange juice
- 1 ½ tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- celery leaves or dill to garnish
Instructions
- Start with preparing the vegetables. Peel the carrots and cut them into chunky dice, and set them aside.
- To prepare the celeriac, remove the thick skin carefully with a very sharp knife and then cut off the top and bottom.
- Chop the celeriac up into slices, then into rough 2 ½ cm (1") cubes, and set them aside along with the carrots.
- Place a pan on medium-low heat and add the olive oil, and then sauté the onions until soft and translucent.
- Add the diced carrots along with the potatoes, and sauté them for a few minutes.
- Add the celeriac, and cook them for a few minutes before adding the orange juice, lemon juice, sugar, and salt.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, cover the Dutch oven with a lid, and let it simmer over low heat for about 30 minutes, until the vegetables are softened but not mushy.
- Transfer the dish to a serving plate, sprinkle on celery leaves or dill, and let it cool down to room temperature before serving.
Notes
- A good quality olive oil is necessary as it highlights the flavor of zeytinyağlı dishes and it will make a huge difference in flavor.
- Don't overpower Zeytinyağlı Kereviz Yemeği with spices and flavorings, keep it as a simple, delightful, and tender vegetable dish with delicate flavors.
- Use freshly squeezed lemon juice and orange juice for the best flavor and also to balance the sweetness of the carrots.
Nutrition
This post uses affiliate links. This means that if you click on them and then buy something, we get a small amount of commission to keep the site running, but it doesn’t cost you anything more.
Andy
This is a great recipe! Easy to make, healthy and absolutely delicious.