Category: Celery

I have a number of similar recipes on the site but somehow this came together and disappeared so quickly, I couldn't resist posting it. ... Read more »

This brightly colored, crunchy, wintry salad could be made with escarole, frisee, endive or any substantial chicory. You could add cheese or nuts but it's lovely as is. ... Read more »

I ate rice salads in Italy many years ago and am also pleased when I remember to make one. This combines sweet, tart, and crunchy elements with a bright citrus dressing. It makes good leftovers but try to bring it to room temp before eating--the texture and flavor are both much better than when cold. ... Read more »

I don't know how heavily color factors into how much I love watermelon radishes. They show up mid-winter when bright color stands out even more but they are also sweet, crunchy and not as sharp as some radishes.... Read more »

This is beautiful, crunchy, bright and wonderful. The apple cider syrup makes it extra special but substitute a little honey, or pomegranate molasses if you don't have the syrup.... Read more »

This is a fantastic crunchy, winter salad template. The key is to chop everything more or less the same size and to not skip or skimp on the toasted peanuts.  ... Read more »

Jambalaya is the beloved Cajun rice, meat and vegetable dish from New Orleans. It has West African, Spanish and French roots and is a savory pot of goodness. My in-authentic version uses more vegetables and only andouille sausage or kielbasa. It's a stunning one-pot meal that is delicious on days two and three so all the chopping is time well spent. You can also skip the meat for a vegetarian version that still packs in lots of flavor. I make my own Cajun seasoning spice mix, see below, with spices I keep on hand but feel free to use a pre-made mix if you that's what you have.  ... Read more »

  This recipe is a template, so feel free to add in different vegetables or adjust amounts. Some veggies work better than others:   Vegetables to add Mushrooms Leeks Shallots Scallions Tomatoes Celery root Bell peppers   Vegetables to avoid Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, bok choy (can be bitter) Starchy vegetables like potatoes or squash (can make broth cloudy or gummy) Vegetables with overpowering flavors like beets or turnips  ... Read more »

Quinoa cooks quickly, has a pleasantly nutty taste and is nutritious. If you're in a rush and have random bits of vegetables on hand, even just a carrot and stalk of celery, you can have this on the table in 25 minutes. Round it out with a fried egg or any protein you'd like and/or a salad. You can easily scale this up and the ratio of quinoa to water is one to one and you can use whatever vegetables and/or meats you'd like so it's more of a set of guidelines than a recipe.... Read more »

This is savory, earthy and not heavy at all. It will be a key player in the saving-room-for-pie-while-not-skimping-on-dinner plan!... Read more »

This is a wonderful winter salad. It's robust, yet bright and crunchy thanks to the celery and yogurt dressing flavored with Dijon mustard and coriander. You can substitute barley, farro or spelt for the wheat berries. This recipe makes quite a bit but it keeps well and seems worth having on hand for lunch the next day but feel free to halve the recipe.... Read more »

[caption id="attachment_12187" align="aligncenter" width="660"] The frosty red orbs above are frozen roasted tomatoes that are wonderful in this soup.[/caption] Simple bean and sometimes bean and grain (often farro) soups are a mainstay of much of central and northern Italy. This is a hearty one that is better the next day and freezes well. It takes a bit of time to fully develop the flavors and textures but is worth every minute. And I suggest soaking the farro and beans together overnight, so plan ahead. Alternatively you can use already cooked/canned beans and the farro will do fine without soaking but will take a little longer to get tender.   I'm not a stickler for authenticity and sometimes use pinto beans (and added some already cooked white beans later in the process in the above version) though borlotti beans would be traditional, and excellent. So use what you have and mix and match beans if you'd like. You can also substitute barley or wheat berries for the farro (which is a variety of wheat). You can also leave out the bacon and it will still be rich and delicious. ... Read more »

Another cook-with-what-you-have salad that came about one late fall day. I love the combination of cooked/roasted and raw vegetables and if you can serve this right away when the squash is still warm it's particularly good. Vary this with other seeds or nuts and different herbs to suit your needs/taste. And if your celery has leaves attached, by all means add a handful or two of those. ... Read more »

This is a classic Tuscan dish that is made with simple ingredients and is more than the sum of its parts if you have good, home-cooked beans, fresh herbs and good olive oil. Classically it's made with borlotti (cranberry-like) beans but pinto beans work well as do any creamy bean so feel free to substitute other varieties. And small, stout tubetti (little tubes) are a more typical pasta but use whatever small-ish, stout pasta you have. Pasta fagioli often include a bit of tomato so by all means add 1/2 cup canned tomatoes or a few roasted ones if you have them.  ... Read more »

  This salad is heavy on the greenery and crunch and the yogurt dressing is tangy and bright.... Read more »

These versions of my standby Italian parsley sauce have more crunch and are almost salad-like but pretty intense. They're fabulous with fish, beef or lamb, stirred into cooked beans, any kind of boiled or roasted vegetable, on crusty bread with soft cheese. . .   The second one, above right, simply includes a bit of mayonnaise which gives it a resemblance to tartar sauce and turns into a superb creamy version for fish or potatoes or as a dressing for potato salad, etc. ... Read more »

This is a strikingly good combination of flavors.... Read more »

--adapted from Plenty More by Yotam Ottolenghi   This is simple, comforting and warming and makes delicious leftovers. It begs to be varied with the addition of other vegetables. Add some diced (either raw or already cooked) winter squash or most any root vegetable. If you're adding them already cooked just add them at the very end just to get heated through and marry the flavors a bit.... Read more »

The grated raw beets, marinated briefly in lemon juice, garlic, salt and oil add so much flavor here and you can adapt the rest of the ingredients to suit your pantry and/or taste. Use any cooked grain you'd like. I imagine barley, freekeh, wheat or rye berries all being delicious. Quinoa would work just as well. If you don't have celery, finely dice carrots or radishes or something else crunchy and most any leafy herb would work. Mint would be fantastic as would basil or dill.... Read more »

I love the crunch of watermelon, Black Spanish or daikon radishes in winter salads. They're refreshing and imposing and stand up to lots of different ingredients.   Adapt this to suit your tastes and what you have on hand just be sure to chop everything fairly small so all the ingredients integrate well.... Read more »