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Celery Wins For Best Supporting Vegetable

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Albany Times Union

The Tampa Tribune

Published: March 15, 2009

Stand tall, celery.

Sure, most people don't think of you as star material. You're a diet food. Gerbil fodder.

The little bits of green in chicken soup.

No one's mouth waters in anticipation of celery season, the kind of reaction inspired by the first local strawberries, asparagus or tomatoes.

But they go looking for you come summer, when they want some crunch in their macaroni salad. And you'll have a spot in their shopping cart at Thanksgiving, when it's time to dig out their grandmother's stuffing recipe. You don't get all the glory like those flashy cranberries, but they can't stuff their turkey without you.

Relish this little statistic: The U.S. Department of Agriculture says the average American uses about 7 pounds of celery per year.

You've been a supporting player from the beginning. In 850 B.C., you were referred to as "selinon" in Homer's "Odyssey," and you served as a decoration at Roman funerals. You earned an important role in commerce: In the 1800s, Dutch settlers figured out how to grow you commercially in Michigan. Now, California is your home - as it is for any actor trying to break into the big time - where 86 percent of the U.S. supply is grown.

You may find your life story boring, but don't you dare blanch in humility. Because you're a quiet but essential member of many cuisines.

In French cooking, you join onions and carrots in a mirepoix, the basis for so many stocks, soups, stews and sauces. In Creole and cajun tradition, you join onions and bell peppers in the "holy trinity" to start so many gumbos.

So don't let your spirits wilt. Talk to an executive chef at a French restaurant, like Michael Cunningham from Provence in Guilderland, N.Y. He appreciates you.

"Braised celery is very classic as far as French cuisine. I take it and use it right down toward the root end of it, where it connects to the root itself. I'll take that and clean it all up and braise it in a little bit of chicken stock with salt and pepper, and use it as part of my vegetable side dish, and people are always wondering what it is," he says. "In a French restaurant, celery goes into 90 percent of my braises. ... It gives it a nice aromatic. It gives it a nice savory flavor."

When he's looking for you at the market, Cunningham tends to lean toward an organic upbringing, which he says creates better flavor.

At Newcombs Farm in East Berne, N.Y., they like you just as they did before the 1940s: nicely blanched, not as tough or stringy as the green Pascal-variety of celery found in the supermarket. Because you can be kind of fussy in the field, the Newcombs like to grow you in the greenhouse, where they have more control over the elements.

During the local celery harvest season, which at Newcombs begins in their greenhouse around June, Cathy Newcomb likes to be traditional, filling your ribs with peanut butter or a cream-cheese-and-olive spread and appreciating your crunch.

We can all afford to pile on extras because you are known for being frugal with calories: 6 to 10 per rib. You're also nutritious, a good source of vitamin C and potassium.

Maybe that's why there are two holiday months named in your honor: "National Celery Month" in March, followed by "National Fresh Celery Month" in April. Who knew?

CHICKEN AND CELERY STIR-FRY

The neutral flavor of skinned and boned chicken breast allows the aromatic nature of celery to shine. Adapted from "Melissa's Big Book of Produce," by Cathy Thomas (John Wiley & Sons, 2006).

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, patted dry

Salt

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons minced gingerroot

3 celery ribs, leaves trimmed and reserved, cut into 1/2-inch slices

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 cups cooked rice

Cut chicken into 1-inch chunks and season with a little salt. Combine cornstarch with water. Set aside.

Heat oil in a wok on high heat. Add garlic and gingerroot and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add chicken, stir-fry until browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Add celery; stir-fry until chicken is thoroughly cooked and celery has softened.

Add soy sauce and cornstarch mixture. Stir-fry until sauce thickened. Serve with cooked rice. Chop celery leaves and sprinkle on top of stir-fry mixture.

Makes 4 servings

Per serving without rice: 150 calories, 33 percent from fat; 5.5 grams fat; 50 milligrams cholesterol; 4 grams carbohydrates; 21 grams protein; less than 1 gram fiber; 900 milligrams sodium.

BRAISED CELERY

This recipe calls for concentrated chicken broth. You can buy it at some gourmet stores, or you can make your own, as directed here. Keep in mind that concentrating broth is a slow process. To make this recipe manageable, prepare the broth one day and braise the celery another. From "Vegetables," by James Peterson (William Morrow, 1998).

1 quart chicken broth

8 ribs celery

1 teaspoon sugar

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Place broth in a 2-quart saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer. Carefully slide the pot to one side of the burner so the pot is tilted and the broth simmers on one side of the pot only. This causes the fat and froth released by the broth to stay on one side of the broth's surface so it's easier to skim off. Every 30 minutes or so, use a ladle to skim off the discard the scum and fat. Rinse the ladle between uses or keep a bowl of water next to the stove to hold the ladle. After about 3 hours, the broth should be down to about a fourth of its original volume. Strain through a cheesecloth-lined strainer or fine-mesh sieve into a clean plastic container. Let cool and refrigerate until ready to use.

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Peel the stringy fibers off the back of the celery with a vegetable peeler and cut the ribs into 4 sections each. Butter a baking dish just large enough to hold the celery pieces in a single layer.

Spread the celery in the dish and pour broth over. Sprinkle with sugar. Braise the celery in the oven, basting every 10 minutes, until the broth forms a shiny brown glaze over the celery sections, 30 to 45 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings

Per serving: 60 calories, 45 percent from fat; 3 grams fat; 0 cholesterol; 6 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 2 grams fiber; 2013 milligrams sodium.

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