Produce
Celery
Also called celery stick, celery stalk, celeriac
A crunchy green stalk used raw for snap and cooked as an aromatic. The pale heart is tender; outer ribs are stringier. Leaves are a herb. Celeriac is the same species grown for the root.
Origin
Wild celery grew in Mediterranean wetlands; fat mild stalks are a later garden selection. French mirepoix and Italian soffritto start with it beside onion and carrot.
Flavour
Fresh, slightly bitter, and a green salty perfume that reads as savoury even before salt is added. Leaves are more intense than the ribs. Old celery tastes hollow.
How to use it
For a flavour base, dice the stalks small and soften them in fat with onion until translucent, not brown. Peel strings on outer ribs if serving raw. Leaves go into stocks, salsa verde or a bean pot at the end. In salads, slice on a bias so the fibres are short. Freeze clean trimmings for stock. Undercooked raw-tasting dice in a stew means you rushed the soffritto. Celery salt is a perfume shortcut, not a substitute for the vegetable.
Storage
Fridge, wrapped so it does not wilt, or stood in a jar of water if already floppy. Use within a week. Leaves first.
Recipes using it
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