Braised Celery Root With Chickpeas & Saffron

2 cups vegetable broth, divided
1 pinch saffron
1 Tbs olive oil
2 Tbs dried minced onion
4 cups diced, peeled, celery root
2 15oz cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbs drained capers
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 Tbs lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1) Bring 1 cup broth to a boil in small saucepan. Stir in saffron, cover, and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes.
2) Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, cooking for 1 minute. Stir in remaining 1 cup vegetable broth, saffron-broth mixture, celery root, chickpeas, capers and red pepper flakes. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 15 minutes, or until celery root cubes are tender when pierced with tip of knife. Stir in pine nuts and lemon juice; season with salt and pepper; and sprinkle with parsley.

Review: Mike was convinced celery root was going to be another one of those things that isn't found in Idaho. Personally, I think it's odd to have celery root and not escarole, but what do I know? This had to be the ugliest produce we've ever bought. We had to peel it by shaving off the sides with a large knife. The consistency of the root reminded us of styrofoam. So, we were hesitant to actually try this, but we were pleasantly surprised. It tastes mildly of celery, with an interesting (almost perfumey) aftertaste. I loved this dish, though. I also altered it, as it calls for an entire gram of saffron. With the bargain I got in CT, that would have been $8 worth of spices. On average, we're talking about close to $20 worth of spice. That's outlandish and using a pinch was enough to flavor the dish nicely.