Celery can be a light and natural snack with almost no calories. It is delicious raw, cooked or paired with different sauces and dips, not forgetting that it contains many nutrients. Read on to learn how to make the most of this vegetable's properties.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Prepare the celery
Step 1. Purchase some fresh celery
You can find it in all grocery stores, farm markets and even grow it in the garden.
- If you want it to be really very fresh, consider buying the one produced at "zero kilometer". On the market you can find it already packaged, but you cannot know where it comes from, how long it has been stored and with how many pesticides it has been treated.
- Buy a whole stem. Make sure it is light green, firm and without blemishes. If it is whitish, soft, or broken, it may be damaged; if the leaves have wilted, choose a fresher one.
- If you are looking for a quick and convenient snack, you can decide to take pre-cut and packaged celery stalks. They may not be as fresh as whole ones and especially as locally grown ones, but they require less work if you are in a hurry.
Step 2. Consider growing it
Celery is a Mediterranean plant that grows best in temperate climates with temperatures between 15 and 21 ° C.
- It is a vegetable with a long growing season and is not easy to grow in regions where summer is short. Seeds germinate best when planted indoors.
- You should be able to get a box of celery seeds from a nursery or garden supply store. You can also harvest wild celery, but in this case you need to get help from a botanical guide in your area or ask a friend who grows this plant in the garden.
- If you already grow it, you can harvest the seeds and use them as a condiment. With the right planning you can have a constant supply of this vegetable year after year.
Step 3. Wash it
Use fresh running water without any detergent or soap. The celery you can buy in supermarkets has probably been sprayed with pesticides and other chemicals; it is therefore important to rinse thoroughly to eliminate many contaminants. This step also prevents you from contracting various food diseases.
Step 4. Store it in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it
You can store it in the vegetable drawer, inside a tightly closed plastic bag or in a bowl or vase with water in the bottom, to keep the vegetable always fresh.
- When stored properly, this whole, fresh plant should last 3-4 weeks past its expiration date, packaged celery will last 2-3 days longer, while cooked celery can be eaten up to a week after cooking.
- It doesn't always come with an expiration date. Try to use your intuition: if the stem is broken, soft, white or withered, it could be rotten.
- If you don't plan on using celery for four weeks, you can freeze it and then defrost it when you need it.
Step 5. Cut it into small pieces according to your preferences
If you bought a fresh stem, remove the leaves on the top and throw them in the trash or compost.
- If you are going to dip it in a sauce or condiment, cut it into 8-10cm segments.
- If you need to cook it or add it to the salad, cut it into smaller pieces, the size of a bite, or chop finely.
Method 2 of 3: Dip the raw celery
Step 1. Pair raw celery with numerous sauces
Its neutral and watery flavor goes perfectly with many ingredients. Experiment with your favorite sauces, soups, dips and pinzimonio and you'll see you'll want more.
If you're not sure if a specific sauce goes well with the celery flavor, dip a small piece in it and taste it. It is always worth a try
Step 2. Try celery sticks with hummus
This thick chickpea-based sauce has been used for centuries in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine and goes perfectly with celery that grows in the Mediterranean regions.
- You should find ready-made hummus in almost any supermarket. The simple one is very good, but you can enrich it with garlic, eggplant, avocado and other ingredients.
- Experiment with other Middle Eastern sauces, such as sesame seed-based tahini and toum, a kind of garlic paste. Remember that these dips have a more intense and salty flavor than traditional hummus.
Step 3. Dip celery in peanut butter
This is a classic combination, at least in Anglo-Saxon countries where peanut butter is widely used, and allows you to supplement the snack with some protein. Almost always the peanut butter you find on the market is thick enough to be spread directly on the vegetable.
- You can choose plain butter or peanut-chopped butter, depending on your taste. You can find it in well-stocked supermarkets or prepare it yourself.
- Make the snack more interesting by using other types of nut butters, such as almond, chestnut or walnut butter. These are less common products, but they can sometimes be found in several shops that are well stocked with natural and ethnic food.
- Prepare some stuffed stems; in the United States this recipe is called "ants on a log", that is "ants on the trunk", due to the appearance of the finished dish. After spreading peanut butter on the vegetable, add a row of raisins, seeds or even M & Ms. It's a perfect trick to make celery interesting for kids too.
Step 4. Dip it in the salad dressing
Ranch sauce is a classic, but you can use any creamy topping: thousand island, gorgonzola, tomato and basil sauce, mayonnaise, and so on. Serve the condiments in a small bowl or on a tray for easy access. Be moderate, you can always pour more once you're done!
Step 5. Try celery with yogurt or cream cheese
- Plain yogurt or Greek yogurt go best with the neutral flavor of celery, but you can try other flavors as well.
- Smooth cream cheese is perfect, but you can consider using those flavored with herbs or other ingredients.
Step 6. Dip the vegetables in the cheese sauce
You can use fondue, nachos sauce, or any other melted cheese sauce. You can buy ready-made products at any supermarket and grocery store, but consider making fondue at home.
Step 7. Pair it with the soup
Celery goes well with any creamy soup: clam, potato and leek soup or maybe you can make the same celery soup.
- You can use celery as a low-calorie substitute for croutons or pretzels that you add to soups. The vegetable bits will not absorb the soup in the same way, but the groove in the center of the stem allows you to collect the liquid just like you would with a spoon.
- Set aside 8-10 cm long celery sticks to collect the soup or chop them directly into the plate.
Method 3 of 3: Making Dishes with Celery
Step 1. Make celery soup
It is an autumn and winter dish that warms the soul and body, is easy to prepare and goes well with bread.
You need a whole head of celery, an onion, 15 g of butter, margarine or olive oil, 900 ml of vegetable broth or water, salt and pepper as required
Step 2. Prepare the stewed celery
It is a simple and quick side dish that accompanies the richer main dishes based on meat. You can stew it with olive oil, wine and bechamel, among other ingredients.
Step 3. Chop it into a salad
Many recipes explicitly call for celery (for example for potato salad), but feel free to add this raw vegetable to any type of salad. You can also make celery the main ingredient by making a lemon, celery and parmesan cheese salad:
Add four finely sliced celery stalks, ¼ of celery leaves, 30 ml of extra virgin olive oil, a pinch of grated lemon zest, 5 ml of fresh lemon juice, a pinch of salt and one of pepper in a bowl. Mix all the ingredients with 30 g of Parmesan cheese. Serve the salad cold or at room temperature
Step 4. Cook the celery in the pan
This vegetable enriches any sautéed vegetarian preparation, thanks to its flavor and texture; it goes perfectly with oriental and Mediterranean dishes based on rice or pasta.
- Cut the celery stalks into bite-sized pieces to cook them. Leave the leaves whole and treat them like any other leafy vegetable; they cook quickly, so add them to the pan at the last moment.
- Celery is made up of 75% water, while the rest is made up of a fibrous and filamentary substance; therefore it does not have to cook for a long time. Don't expect the vegetable to change much in cooking, although it will become softer and less chewy.
Advice
- Chew thoroughly. Celery is considered a "natural dental floss" because it has a tendency to break into fibrous filaments that clean the surfaces between the teeth.
- Prolonged chewing also stimulates the production of saliva, which is perfect for the health of the oral cavity, as it neutralizes acids thanks to its calcium and phosphate content that remineralize the teeth.
