Keirsten Hinkle

Week 32: Celery Salad

How can our baby be as long as celery?! 16-17 inches doesn’t seem possible. Almost 4 pounds. This week the vegetable celery is representing. Crunchy and mild I usually only use celery to start off a dish as a sauteed mirepoix. But, since we are highlighting celery I wanted to make a dish where you really get to experience the crisp and cold that celery can bring to a meal. Celery salad has a lot of dicing and prep work but the result is wonderful. Cool, crunchy, and lemony with apples and cucumber this is a perfect salad for a hot day. Or serve it alongside a heavier dish to cut through the fat. It’s also a great way to use up the rest of a bunch of celery in the refrigerator!

Ingredients

8 large celery ribs, peeled and thinly sliced (about 4 cups; see note)

1 green apple, peeled and diced

½ English cucumber, seeded and diced

¼ cup finely chopped fresh dill

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon lemon zest, from 1 lemon

2 tablespoons lemon juice, from 1 lemon

In a large bowl, toss together all of the ingredients until evenly combined. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Serve cold.

Note: To peel the celery, use a vegetable peeler to lightly peel off the outer layer from the rounded side of the celery ribs.