When I started teaching my virtual cooking classes, I realized not everyone knows how to cut their veggies properly. It’s not that there is a right or wrong way of doing it. So when I say the proper way, I am referring to the safe way. The end result is the same, but there is a chance to slip and cut yourself if you are not working safely. I have created this quick video to show you how to dice celery:
Celery is the base of so many dishes. In French cooking, mirepoix is onion, carrot, and celery. In Cajun cooking, the holy trinity is onion, green pepper, and celery. Celery is also good for you, aiding in digestion and reducing inflammation. It’s also loaded with antioxidants.
Let’s start with raw celery. The obvious choice is to slice it into sticks and eat it alone or with dip. It also makes a great snack when filled with cream cheese or peanut butter for some protein. Add a few raisins on top and it’s Ants on Log snack for kids.
Raw celery is also great in a salad. Have you ever had antipasto? Every good Italian family starts their holiday meals with antipasto. For those of you who have never had it, it varies, but typically it’s meats, cheeses, marinated vegetables, bread, etc. In Italian, it means before the meal- anti means before and pasto translates to the meal. In our house it was soppressata or dry salami, sharp provolone, a mixture of olives, hot peppers, artichoke hearts, garlic, parsley and celery (tons of celery) and some really good seeded Italian bread. You need the bread to soak up the briny marinade on the veggies. And the crunch of the celery is what makes this dish.
Raw celery is also served alongside buffalo wings to dip into the blue cheese dip to cool you down. I love to make buffalo chicken meatballs and not only does celery appear on the side, but it’s also cooked inside the meatball. Here is how I make it. Start with ground chicken, diced celery, carrot and onion, hot sauce and seasoning. Mix together and form meatballs with a cookie scoop. Bake on a parchment linked baking sheet in a 375F oven for up to 15 minutes or until fully cooked at 165F internal temperature. Toss with a combination of hot sauce and melted butter and serve with raw celery and carrots. Go with the traditional blue cheese dip or make your own lighter version with plain Greek yogurt, lemon juice, salt, pepper and any other seasoning to make it taste good to your palate. You can also add blue cheese crumbles to this dip to make it more traditional.
Celery is also used a lot in soups and stews. They impart their flavor into the broth and most often the celery goes into the pot in large chunks so no finesse required. Often when I am making a large pot of chicken soup, I put two stalks of celery in the pot and when the soup is done, I remove it as they are too soft to eat.
You can also used diced celery in soups that don’t cook for a long time. Pasta e fagioli is a good example. Diced celery, onions and carrots start of the soup and once sauteed, garlic is added along with chicken broth and tomato paste. Once it simmers, beans and pasta are added and when the pasta is cooked, the soup is done. Adjust for seasoning and add Parmesan cheese and basil to serve.
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In a similar fashion, I make a great warm lentil salad. Start with olive oil, diced celery, carrots and onion and once softened, add garlic, bay leaves, lentils and water to cover. Cook until the lentils are tender. Drain any excess water, season with salt and pepper. Dress with olive oil and lemon juice and eat as you would a side salad with quiche or as a vegetarian entree or perfect side dish to any meal.
The possibilities for celery are endless. I hope you try out some of these recipes. Please let me know how you like them at debbie@theeffortlesskitchen.com. And if you like these tips you may enjoy one of my classes. Click this link to see my seasonal menu of live virtual cooking classes https://www.theeffortlesskitchen.com/seasonalmenu
See you in the kitchen!
Debbie
DEBBIE BROSNAN
Debbie is a personal chef turned virtual cooking class instructor. She started The Effortless Kitchen in 2019 making dinners in her client’s homes and transitioned to virtual due to Covid. Debbie is a passionate self taught home cook who began her journey cooking along side her mother and grandmother as a young child. Her focus is on healthy food that tastes amazing using simple recipes so that those who take her classes will continue to make those dishes and others in their own kitchens. The Effortless Kitchen offers weekly classes, custom parties and corporate events and all are virtual, interactive and fun. Recorded classes are now offered for those who cannot make the live events. Culinary travel is being added into the mix in 2022 with the first adventure in March to Napa. Debbie is thrilled with the shift in her business as she can reach more people and share her gift with everyone. Through The Effortless Kitchen’s classes, Debbie is creating a community of people who are both comfortable and uncomfortable in the kitchen all brought together by the common thread of food.
