| Moscow Food Co-op Produce Tips | |
What
to do with Celery
by Jen Hirt, from the May 2002 newsletter
I used to volunteer at the Hiram College Co-op in Ohio, and one week, someone
decided to purchase a food-service-sized quantity of celery. What arrived was
a large box with about 50 stout bunches of celery. So with, say, ten stalks
per bunch, we had 500 stalks to deal with. That's a lot of celery, especially
when no one really had any definitive plans for how to use it. The celery sat.
The celery decomposed. We all felt bad, yet managed to ignore it until the wilty
wall of celery had to be escorted to the compost pile.
Since then, I've been wary of celery. How does one deal with this crunchy, pale green thing? Is it more than a vehicle for onion dip at parties?
The poet Gary Soto wrote in 'The Soup,'
He adds hominy and potato that bob
In a current of pork fat, from one rim to the other,
crashing into the celery that has canoed such a long way."
Soto is right. The celery has canoed a long way. It's quite savory when cooked, which is a versatile shift from its cold, raw crunchiness.
Here's a great recipe for honoring its journey. The recipe calls for two stalks of celery, but use more if you want. The rice/grain combination is also open for variations, as is the type and amount of fruits and nuts.
I cooked a full batch of this one night and ate it for lunch for an entire week. It makes a delicious leftover. It's tasty when reheated and served with thin, cool slices of apple and your favorite cheese. The flavor is nutty-celery with highlights of tangy dried fruit and dill.
Pilaf With Celery
Adapted from Still Life with Menu
1 medium onion, minced
2 medium stalks celery, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried dill
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup uncooked white rice
1/2 cup uncooked cracked wheat
2 1/2 to 3 cups water (or light vegetable broth)
1/2 cup or more of your favorite dried fruit
1 cup of your favorite nuts
fresh or dried parsley to taste
fresh lemon for garnish
Over medium heat, cook the onion, celery, salt, and dill in oil until everything is mixed and tender, about 8 minutes. Stir every couple minutes. Add the uncooked white rice and cracked wheat, and stir gently but constantly for 5 to 8 minutes. The goal is to make sure the rice and wheat are well-covered with the oil and seasonings.
Add one cup of water and stir well. Let the liquid mixture cook down, uncovered, for about 3 minutes.
Stir and add the rest of the water (less if you prefer firm rice, more if you like softer rice). Add the dried fruit, stir well, cover, and simmer over medium-low heat for 25 minutes, or until the water is absorbed and the rice and wheat are tender.
Add nuts, parsley, and lemon garnish.
Yields 4-5 servings. Makes an excellent leftover.
See an article, with recipes, on celeriac
Jen Hirt is an MFA student in creative writing at the University of Idaho.
She's working on a collection of essays about greenhouses.
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