San Antonio Express-News, John Griffin
Published June 24, 2008
Biting into a rib of celery is, for me, as refreshing as drinking a cold glass of spring water. The crunch and the clean, green flavors keep me reaching for more.
I've been a celery fiend since I was a kid and my mom would stuff ribs with cream cheese to serve as an appetizer.
I grew into a greater appreciation of this versatile vegetable when I learned to make a mirepoix with celery, onion and carrot for soups and sauces in addition to the trinity of celery, onion and green pepper used in Cajun cooking.
Plus, celery is good for you. It's packed with riboflavin, vitamin B6, calcium, magnesium and phosphorus. It's a good source of fiber, potassium and manganese, as well as vitamins A, C and K.
It also has what some call negative calories — you burn more calories digesting and absorbing celery than celery actually has. (Other common foods on the negative calorie list include asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, cucumber, radishes, spinach and tomatoes.)
Recipes
• Celery Apple Gazpacho
• Chicken Breast with Feta, Celery and Radish Salad
• Blue Cheese Stuffed Celery
• Celery Salad With Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream
• Celery Sorbet
On the Web
• For more on celery
I could have easily come up with 50 recipes, not just five, for this story. To narrow them down, I decided to pick five recipes perfect for summer, dishes that were largely cool and simple. And one that is, well, truly weird.
The first is a variation on Mom's stuffed celery, only blue cheese has been added to the blend to give it a salty edge.
Celery Apple Gazpacho is not only easy, it's made without turning on the oven.
When I was in Santiago, Chile, earlier this year, the celery stalks at the market were about three times the size of those we buy here. And the Chileans use it in interesting ways. I tried a salad that paired celery ice cream (yes, with a touch of sweetness) with lemon-soaked celery matchsticks. My variation on that was to create a sorbet rich in celery juice with a touch of lime.
For a main course, pair boneless, skinless chicken breast with celery, feta and radishes for a fresh, cool salad.
Celery apparently has its place among desserts, too. Josue Ramos of New York's Commerce restaurant is drawing national attention for his chocolate-peanut butter marquise, served with a sweet celery salad. The celery adds a crunchy texture that works well with the mousse, he said in a telephone conversation.
I haven't the patience to make marquise for one — or for many, for that matter. So, I did something far easier: I bought a quart of Horizon Organic Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream — as if I needed an excuse — and paired the two. It was worth trying at least once, though I'm more likely to make a nonsweet Italian celery salad (make it according to the same directions, only use Parmesan cheese instead of sugar).
One last note: Buy organic celery. At my H-E-B, it costs only 30 or 40 cents more than conventional celery (though that difference is greater at other supermarkets). The difference in flavor is so pronounced that it's well worth the extra cost. If the flavor doesn't matter to you, then this might: Celery is on the Environmental Working Group's “dirty dozen” list of foods, along with apples and spinach, said to be most contaminated unless you are eating organic.
John Griffin is Express-News dining editor. E-mail him at
jgriffin@express-news.net.
