Crunch is the Word

Celery is an underrated vegetable.  Mostly it just provides the crunch in tuna salad and the trough for the peanut butter.  Celery is never the star of the show.  That is until now.

I was looking for an interesting salad to make with dinner tonight and happened across this recipe for Celery and Parmesan Salad.  Hello Gorgeous.  Where have you been all my life?

This may be the best salad I have ever eaten.  It's crunchy, fresh, light, and all around perfect.  I cannot say enough nice things about it.  It's also incredibly easy to make and gets better with age so you can make it early in the day to serve at dinner.

What I really love about this salad is that it's unexpected.  Who ever makes a celery salad?  It's not something you ever see on a menu, that's for sure.   I don't say this often but you really should try this.  I'm sure you'll be singing it's praises like I am.

Recipe:  Celery and Parmesan Salad
(Ina Garten)


Ingredients:


1/2 cup good olive oil
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice (3 lemons)
2 tablespoons minced shallots
1 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1/2 teaspoon anchovy paste
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
5 cups thinly sliced celery hearts, tender leaves included, sliced on an angle (about 12 stalks)
4-ounce chunk aged Parmesan cheese
2/3 cup toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped
Whole flat-leaf parsley leaves

Directions:

At least 1 hour before you plan to serve the salad, whisk together
the olive oil, lemon zest, 1/4 cup of lemon juice, the shallots, celery
seed, celery salt, anchovy paste, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon
pepper. Place the celery in a mixing bowl and toss it with the
remaining 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
(Even though these ingredients are in the dressing, believe me—
this step makes a difference.) Add enough dressing to moisten well.
Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour to allow the celery to crisp
and the flavors to develop.

When ready to serve, arrange the celery on a platter, shave the
Parmesan onto the celery with a vegetable peeler, then sprinkle
with walnuts, parsley leaves, salt, and pepper and serve immediately.