Celery

Celery is the sixth best selling vegetable in supermarkets nationwide. It is considered both a household staple and a necessity for chefs all over the world. Celery, onions, carrots and parsley are the four major vegetables that are used for virtually all stocks, many sauces, and a lot of other dishes. Celery contains essential, highly aromatic oil that lends its perfume and flavor to numerous dishes. With its crisp texture, celery is also a very popular appetizer as part of a vegetable platter or a salad topping. Celery gets its crispness due to the rigidity of its stalk combined with a high water content. Its high water content not only makes it exceptionally low in calories but it also reduces the nutrients found in celery.

Celeriac or celery root is a variety of celery that is cultivated for its edible root. Wild celery produced two offspring: the more familiar above the ground celery and the underground knobby root, celeriac. Celeriac provides an intense celery flavor with a touch of parsley.

California produces 75 percent of the celery grown in the United States with Florida a distant second. Canada and Mexico are the main importers of celery but overall provide only a small amount to the United States. Most celery root comes from California.

Selection & Storage
Pick celery that forms a compact bunch with stalks that are a light green color with a glossy finish. The leaves of the celery stalk should also be bright green and fresh looking. I recommend steering away from celery with dark green stalks, even though dark green stalks do provide more nutrients, as they are prone to be tougher and stringier.

Check the crispness of the celery stalks by picking up a bunch and giving it a gentle squeeze near the middle of the stalk. If it provides a squeaky sound, the celery bunch is fresh. If it doesn't, the celery stock will most likely be old and should be avoided.

Celeriac or Celery roots should be firm and heavy for their size. Check for any decay throughout the celery root. If green tops are attached, they should be fresh looking not limp. Overall, medium-size knobs are the best for overall quality and ease of preparation.

To store celery, trim the base and remove any leaves or ribs that are damaged or bruised. Rinse, place in a plastic bag, and keep in the refrigerator's humid vegetable bin, and it will last about two weeks. Be sure to keep celery away from the coldest sections of your refrigerator (the back and side walls), since celery freezes easily. Frozen celery stalks will be limp and watery when thawed. As with carrots, sprinkle or add water to the plastic bag to maintain the freshness of the celery. Cut celery (unwashed), stored in well-sealed plastic bags, will last about three days. Celery can be stored refrigerated in a plastic bag for 7-10 days.

Preparation
It is important to rinse celery thoroughly to remove sand and dirt from their stalks. To prepare raw celery sticks, cut the stalks just prior to serving them. If you need to prepare them well in advance, put the cut celery stalks in ice water for up to an hour before serving.

Celery is a very popular ingredient in Chinese cooking, especially in stir-fries. To use celery in stir-fries, cut it into � inch to � inch crescents. Use the � inch crescents for a crunchier texture. In a wok or skillet heat a small amount of oil until hot then add the thinly sliced celery. Cook celery until tender, approximately 2-3 minutes. Celery is also a nice addition to cold salads, and adds a lot to soups and stews.

Celery leaves are valuable additions to soups and stocks and can be treated like an herb such as parsley. Celery with the leaves attached can be used to baste grilled meats, poultry, and fish.

Celery root/Celeriac can be eaten raw grated or shredded in salads or cooked in soups, stews, and pur�es. It is also delicious with mashed or au gratin potatoes.

Tony's Tip
If you're in a hurry, or you don't want to buy a whole bunch of celery for one dish, check out the salad bar at your supermarket for already cut celery. Yes, it's more expensive per pound, but you won't be using that much.

Tony's Favorite Recipe
Celery Root R�moulade with Fresh Dill

Varieties
Pascal or green celery is the vast majority of celery on the market today. There is also bleached white celery.

Celeric/Celery roots come in two varieties: a smaller knob version sold earlier in the fall and a larger knob version that comes later.

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