An Unappreciated Vegetable

I am taking a break from the apples today.  I still have more apples than there are Kardashians, but I just need a break.

So instead of apples today, I am going to regale you with talk of celery.  Yes, celery.  Celery, the vegetable we always think of as the crunch in tuna salad, and a nice base for a soup.  Rarely does celery get to stand on its own merits and shine, shine, shine.

A couple of months ago I blogged about Ina Garten's celery salad.  My friend Deborah in California is a big fan of that salad.  I am hoping that there are others of you who are also fans, but she's the only one who's actively commented on it.  (That's a not very veiled suggestion that the rest of you should be commenting on recipes if you like them...)

Nonetheless, I have another celery salad recipe for you today, this one from my farmer's market guru, Melissa Clark.  This recipe is from her new cookbook Cook This Now.   It's similar to Ina's salad but the vinaigrette is slightly different, relying on fewer ingredients thus giving it a cleaner taste.  I like the simplicity of this approach, although I could make a case for either salad being my favorite.

As I was writing this post, it occurred to me that I could have added some diced apples to the salad.  Sounds good, doesn't it?  Well, maybe next time.

Recipe:  Celery Salad with Walnuts and Parmesan
(Melissa Clark, Cook This Now, 2011)

Ingredients:


1 cup walnuts
1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
8 large celery stalks with leaves, thinly sliced
2 ounces Parmesan cheese, shaved

Preheat the oven to 350.  Spread the walnuts in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet.  Toast, tossing once halfway through, until the nuts are golden, 7-10 minutes.  Cool and coarsely chop.

In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, salt and pepper; whisk in the oil.  Combine the walnuts, celery and leaves, and cheese in a large salad bowl.  Add the vinaigrette and toss gently to combine.