It’s crunch time when celery is the star
Dad loved celery. He grew up in hard times on a farm in southern Illinois. His celery lectures revealed that he and his six hungry siblings treasured those crisp, green stalks. Raw or cooked, celery was looked at as a luxury in his childhood because it took so long to grow, four autumn months to mature from seed. Dad’s father doubted its value. Not much was planted.
He would have adored this scrumptious salad that showcases celery, apples and peanuts. Celery, absolutely, but two other of his favorites — apples and peanuts.
Celery, Apple and Peanut Salad Yield: 4 servings INGREDIENTS
4large cold, crisp celery stalks, tough fibers peeled off, sliced on an angle into 1⁄4-inch wide pieces, see cook’s notes
3 green onions, trimmed at root ends and 2 inches cut from green stalks and discarded
1⁄2 large Anaheim chile, seeded, deribbed, and cut into thin crosswise strips, see cook’s notes 2 medium Fuji apples, halved, cored and sliced into thin wedges 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 1⁄2 cup roasted, salted peanuts, roughly chopped
1 small handful Italian parsley leaves
Extra-virgin olive oil, about 3 tablespoons
Optional garnish: Small sprigs Italian parsley
Cook’s notes: To keep celery crisp, when I bring it home from the market I trim it at the bottom and cut the long stalks in half crosswise. Washed in a big bowl of cold water, they go into a zipper-style bag with about 1 1⁄2 inches of cold water. Zipped closed, the bag rests in the bottom portion of a rectangular plastic container stored in the fridge. To tame the heat of chiles, don’t simply remove the seeds — slice away the whitish ribs.
PROCEDURE
1: Put celery in large bowl. Cut trimmed green onions into thin slices and add to the bowl. Add chile, apples and lemon juice; toss. Season with salt and pepper; toss again. Taste and adjust with more lemon salt or black pepper to make the flavor vibrant.
2: Add peanuts and parsley and a good slug of olive oil. Toss well. Taste and give salad a final seasoning adjustment if needed. If desired, top with a few small sprigs of Italian parsley. Serve cold.
Source: Adapted from “Six Seasons: A New Way with Vegetables,” by Joshua McFadden (Artisan, $35)