Celery tends to only show up around Thanksgiving, where it is the star ingredient in turkey stuffing. As a child, my mom made a traditional meal, and I suppose I knew celery was in the dressing, but I didn’t realize it provides a crucial flavor to the dish, and without it, it wouldn’t taste the same.
Except for this annual occurrence, celery is relegated to crudité platters everywhere, or perhaps you might have spread peanut butter and a few raisins on it in preschool. I do like it accompanying Buffalo wings as the palate cleanser between bites of spicy sauce.
But let’s think of celery, and it’s cousin, celeriac, as vegetables that can step out of the background and become the stars of their own recipes.
The Dirty Dozen
Celery is a big business here in the coastal regions of central California, where they have the perfect climate to grow tall, crisp, and tender stalks. These stalks are full of everything that goes into the ground. As water makes its way into the plant each day, so do the nutrients from the soil. Both the good and the bad. Helping celery achieve its notoriety on the “dirty dozen list” of fruits and vegetables with high pesticide residue.
Locally Grown
If you can find a farmer that grows celery, it is often quite a different product than what you will find in the store. Celery needs many months of cool weather, with lots of water.
Where I am, just 100 miles away, celery grows more like an herb, with strong fragrant leaves. The stalks are more fibrous, and when it comes to flavor, you might use less than a recipe specifies.
You don’t want to bother with the ants-on-the-log unless you are prepared to scare away your young eater from eating raw celery for a while.
Here are my best recipes that focus on celery and celeriac’s flavor.
Spicy Celery and Bleu Cheese Salad
Adapted from anediblemosaic.com, this is my Buffalo wing side dish, reconstructed.
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon sour cream or plain yogurt
- 2–3 dashes hot sauce
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- Salt and fresh ground black pepper
- 3–5 celery ribs thinly sliced
- 1 carrot shredded
- 2 green onions, white and green parts, thinly sliced
- 3 ounces blue cheese crumbled
Stir together the mayo, sour cream, hot sauce, garlic, salt, and black pepper in a large bowl. Add the celery, carrot, and green onion and stir until the dressing coats the veggies. Gently fold in the blue cheese crumbles; taste and add additional salt, black pepper, and hot sauce if desired.
Cream of Celery Soup
Since celery is a seasonal vegetable, when we do have it, we have a lot. This recipe for cream of celery soup will use an entire small head.
Just thinking about this soup, scared me at first, with thoughts about casseroles and red and white cans in the grocery store aisles.
But making it yourself is a refreshing change, and it made me realize why they canned it in the first place.
If you like cream of broccoli, this is a perfect alternative. I added a parsnip. You could use a potato or omit it altogether. The starchy vegetable lends a creamy texture, reducing the amount of half and half that I would use otherwise.
Cream of Celery Soup
- 1 small onion, chopped, about 1 cup
- 4–5 cups chopped celery
- 1 large parsnip or russet potato, peeled and chopped
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 2–3 cups water
- ½ cup half and half
In a large saucepan, cook the onions, celery, parsnip, butter, thyme, and salt over medium heat for 6–8 minutes. If needed, add a few tablespoons of water to keep the vegetables from drying out. Add the flour and stir well to coat the vegetables. Add about 2 cups water, just barely cover the vegetables. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 15–20 minutes until the celery and parsnips are soft. Remove from the heat and blend with an immersion blender. Stir in the half and half, taste for salt, pepper, and adjust the consistency with water if needed. Garnish with lemon or hot sauce and croutons or crackers if you have them. Enjoy now, or the next day, it’s great reheated.
Celeriac the Ugly Duckling
Celeriac, or celery root, is a celery varietal selected for its root. It has celery leaves on top and a knobby, dirty root ball under the ground.
I have found celeriac is the prize. Its root is creamy and starchy, with a subtle celery flavor. It can improve simple mashed potatoes. Or combine it with other root vegetables, like carrots and rutabagas, as the aromatic glue in a root vegetable mash.
Celery Root Mash
- 1 large celery root, peeled and cubed
- 1–2 russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
- Salt
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup half-n-half or cream
- 1–2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs, such as dill or parsley
Put the celery root and potatoes in a medium pot and cover with cold water. Add 1 tablespoon of salt, and bring to a boil. Boil until the vegetables are tender (15 to 20 minutes). Drain in a colander and return celery root and potatoes to the pot with the butter and cream. Mash with a potato masher and add salt to taste and serve hot garnished with the herbs
Let celery and celeriac shine
Celery adds a dimension of flavor to many dishes, which is why it is a vital part of cooking. But on its own, celery is a unique vegetable that can be the star in your recipe.