The greenest dinner party you never knew you needed
David Tanis
Both celery root and mussels are at their best right now, so here’s a bright-green menu that welcomes them — a cool weather meal with verve and brightness, best eaten near the warmth of a fire or reasonable facsimile thereof.
This dish employs two kinds of celery: the tender hearts of branch celery and so-called knob celery, also known as celery root or celeriac.
At the vegetable stand, knob celery is usually sold scrubbed, but still may look scary with its undeniably gnarled root. Fear not: That root is easily peeled with a sharp knife. Once the rough exterior is removed, a pale perfumed vegetable appears, ready to be shredded for a salad or cooked.
For a nice salad in winter, I cut the knob celery into matchsticks and give the strips a soak in salty lemon juice. Then, they are dressed with a thick mustardy vinaigrette, similar to what is called rémoulade sauce in France. Sharp mustard in the dressing complements the sweet celery-flavored root.
I like the crunchy addition of chopped celery hearts, the pale ribs at the center of green stalk celery. Paired alongside the root and sprinkled with thinly sliced scallions, the two vegetable cousins look good together, and what results appears and functions rather like a potato salad. Add chopped capers, cornichons, chives or tarragon to customize it; the mixture will keep for a few days at the ready in the fridge. Spicy watercress, arugula or radicchio leaves are perfect to perch the dressed salad upon when serving.
To follow, a quick potful of mussels couldn’t be easier. It’s my kind of fast food — casual, good for a crowd or just a small group of mussel lovers. It could be a pot of small clams, of course, but mussels are generally less expensive and every bit as satisfying.
Wonderful farmed mussels from Prince Edward Island and other East Coast shores can be found at the supermarket or fishmonger, clean and de-bearded in little two-pound net bags, ready to rinse and steam.
Cooking mussels is a breeze: Heat butter or oil, add aromatics and little liquid, turn up the heat and throw the mussels into a large pot. Slap on the lid. They’ll steam and be ready in less than 10 minutes, left agape and swimming in the broth they have produced.
I often cook them simply with garlic, shallots and white wine, which makes a delicious broth that’s mild and pleasing. Craving a version with more oomph, however, I mixed warm spices, fresh ginger, hot green chile and a lot of chopped cilantro into softened butter. Just a few tablespoons of the spiced butter stirred into the broth, along with a squeeze of lime, created the zippy experience I wanted.
Then, eat them one by one with glee. Toss the empty shells into the communal bowl provided. With luck, there will also be a warm crusty baguette, for sopping up the zesty broth.
Serving cookies for dessert is often a very good option for having just a little something sweet at the end of the meal. These cookies are made from finely chopped pistachios and almond meal. They have a slightly soft center and a crisp exterior.
Cardamom, with its sweet, peppery, sharp and citrusy flavor, always adds interest to baked goods. As the featured spice, it can’t be faint. When ground freshly from the seeds of green cardamom pods, it is pungent; if you’re using a jar that’s been open awhile, add a bit more.
Long cherished in Middle East and India, pistachios are hav
Green
ing a moment in the United States — many bakeries are now regularly featuring them in croissants and other pastries. These flour-free cardamom-pistachio cookies are exceedingly easy to love.
Diner beware: It’s impossible to eat fewer than two.
DOUBLE CELERY SALAD
This dish employs two kinds of celery: the tender hearts of branch celery and so-called knob celery, also known as celery root or celeriac. It’s a nice salad in winter, for a change of pace. A bed of spicy watercress, arugula or mizuna lends even more of a green hue to this dish.
1 celery root (about 11/2
pounds)
Salt
1/4 cup lemon juice or mild
white vinegar 1 tablespoon Dijon
mustard
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil Tiny pinch of ground
cayenne
Freshly ground black
pepper
Tender pale celery heart with leaves, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
Spicy watercress, arugula
or mizuna
2 or 3 scallions, thinly sliced
1. Remove the rough skin of the celery root with a sharp vegetable peeler or paring knife, leaving the root smooth and unblemished. Rinse if necessary.
2. With a mandolin or sharp vegetable knife, very thinly and carefully cut the celery root horizontally.
Stack 3 or 4 slices, then cut crosswise to make matchsticks. Repeat until all slices are used (save any scrappy looking bits for a future soup or vegetable stock).
3. Place the raw matchsticks in a large bowl. Season well with salt and toss to distribute. Add lemon juice and toss again. Put a plate on top, pressing down on the matchsticks, and add some weight, like a heavy can or other heavy object, on top. This will allow the celery root to soften. Leave for 20 minutes at room temperature, or, if preferred, refrigerate up to 2 days.
4. Strain the matchsticks, reserving the liquid, squeezing with your hands to get all the juice. Place matchsticks in a salad bowl.
5. Make a vinaigrette as follows: Put 3 tablespoons of the reserved lemony liquid in a small bowl. Add the Dijon mustard to dissolve and stir briskly with a fork or small whisk. Slowly beat in the olive oil. The vinaigrette should thicken and emulsify. Add the barest hint of cayenne (just what clings to the point of a paring knife) and black pepper to taste.
6. Pour dressing over the drained celery root and toss well to coat. Taste and correct the seasoning. Let marinate for 15 minutes and up to 1 hour.
7. Just before serving, add the sliced celery heart and leaves, add a small pinch of salt, and toss again.
8. Arrange salad on a platter or individual plates and surround with watercress sprigs. Sprinkle with sliced scallions.
MUSSELS IN SPICY GREEN BROTH
Steaming a pot of mussels couldn’t be easier for a quick, satisfying meal. Cooked simply with garlic, shallots and white wine, they produce a delicious broth. For a version with more oomph, stir in spicy butter and a squeeze of lime.
8 tablespoons unsalted
butter, softened 2 teaspoons grated fresh
ginger
1 teaspoon ground coriander, briefly toasted in a pan 1 teaspoon ground cumin,
briefly toasted in a pan 1 teaspoon ground
turmeric
1 teaspoon freshly ground
black pepper
1 cup very finely chopped cilantro (from 1 large bunch)
2 serrano chiles, very finely
chopped
1 teaspoon lime zest Kosher salt (Diamond
Crystal)
4 pounds mussels 2 tablespoons extra-virgin
olive oil or coconut oil 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
or finely diced
2 garlic cloves, smashed to
a paste with a little salt 1 cup dry white wine
Lime wedges and a crusty baguette, for serving
1. Make the cilantro butter: Put softened butter in a bowl. Add ginger, coriander, cumin, turmeric and black pepper. Mash together with a wooden spoon to combine. Add the cilantro and chiles, and mash well, extracting as much green cilantro juice as possible. Stir in lime zest and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Form the butter into a log, then wrap with waxed paper or film and chill to firm slightly.
2. As the butter chills, prepare the mussels: In a large bowl, wash mussels in cold water. Pull off any “beards” and discard (also discard any smashed or gaping mussels). Quickly rinse the mussels and set aside.
3. Put oil in a heavybottomed soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add shallot, season with salt, and let sizzle for a minute without browning. Add garlic and white wine, and turn heat to high and bring to a boil.
4. Add mussels, stir well, and cover. Cook mussels over high heat, stirring once, for 5 to 7 minutes, until all mussels have opened. Turn off heat and leave lid on.
5. To serve, cut cilantro butter into 1-inch chunks and stir into the mussels (4 tablespoons is probably enough, but use it all if you wish).
6. Ladle mussels and broth into heated wide shallow soup bowls. Place a bowl on the table to collect empty shells. Pass lime wedges along with a warm crusty baguette, for sopping up the broth.
PISTACHIO-ALMOND COOKIES
Cardamom has a mysterious flavor that’s hard to describe — sweet, peppery, sharp, a hint of citrus. It’s an outstanding spice that can be put to good use in many types of baked goods. Long cherished in the Middle East and
India, pistachios are having a moment in the United States: Many bakeries are now featuring pistachiofilled croissants, for instance. These cookies have a slightly soft center, with a crisp exterior.
1 cup whole, shelled pistachios, plus more for garnish
11/3 cups superfine almond
flour
2/3 cup granulated sugar 2 teaspoons ground cardamom, or more to taste
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 large egg whites
1/2 teaspoon almond or vanilla extract (optional)
Powdered sugar, for rolling
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. With an electric spice mill or small food processor, grind pistachios to a fine powder. (Alternatively, handchop pistachios; it’s OK if the result is a bit coarse.)
3. Place pistachio powder in a mixing bowl and stir in the almond flour, granulated sugar, cardamom and sea salt, breaking up any lumps as you go.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until frothy, then add almond extract, if using.
5. Combine dry ingredients and egg whites. Use a wooden spoon or hands and keep mixing until a slightly sticky dough comes together. You will think there isn’t enough liquid, but there is. (Alternatively, pulse dry ingredients and whisked egg whites in a food processor to make the dough.) The dough may be prepared and refrigerated up to 3 days ahead.
6. Form tablespoon-size pieces with the dough and roll between palms into spheres. (A good weight for the balls is 14 grams or
1/2 ounce.) Coat each well with powdered sugar in a small plate, then place about 1 1/2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Push a whole pistachio or a pinch of chopped pistachio into the center of each ball.
7. Bake just until very lightly browned, about 15 to 18 minutes. Remove and cool on a rack. When cool, store in an airtight tin for up to a week. They are better a bit undercooked; if baked too long, they will harden. As they cool, a thin crisp meringuelike skin forms, with a soft, moist filling.