Celery Night

Celery and Gin Tonic. Thai Celery Salad. Celery Soup.

Layla suggested a challenge for me: a meal, all in one day, where the primary ingredient in each dish is the same. Yes, I thought, we SHOULD do an all-scrapple extravaganza!

Note to my readers: This is not the first time my brain has suggested such a scrappling. I once deemed it the Festival of Scrappleclap. Attendance was low to non-existent.

But no, Layla wasn't talking about everything from the rooter to the tooter (thanks, Marq, for teaching me that one). She actually suggested a Tomatoing whilst they were still in season. Instead, for a multitude of reasons, I missed the season. (Editor's Note: Turns out I DIDN'T miss the season!) Then the new issue of Bon Appetit arrived ...

The thing about celery is, no one actually likes celery, right? Its the vanilla ice cream of vegetables, right? Celery is nothing but crispness, no flavor, best utilized for dips and peanut butter with raisins. Buy it, chop it into thirds, stick it in your kid's lunch.

I will let these recipes do the talking, but suffice it to say, there are ways to bring out the inherent flavorful brightness of celery. For instance: booze. Plus, celery is cheap and goes a long way with these dishes.

So try out your own Celery Night. And please, leave suggestions for a theme-night ingredient below, as I plan on making this a once-monthly dinner party type of deal.

All recipes from or adapted from Bon Appetit.

Celery Tonic

The first round of this drink was right on recipe, and it was incredibly refreshing. The second round of this drink, I added a touch more celery, and reduced the lemon juice by just a bit. The third round of this drink, we infused the gin with celery, then followed the recipe as written.

Those were three fantastic drinks.

Ingredients:

• 1 chopped celery stalk
• 1 Tbs sugar
• 1 oz. fresh lemon juice
• gin
• lemon rind for garnish

To Prepare:

1. Muddle the celery with the sugar and lemon juice in a cocktail shaker.
2. Add gin, fill with ice, and shake until the outside is frosty.
3. Strain into a rocks glass filled with ice, garnish with lemon twist

Thai Celery Salad

I don't know what to say about this salad except that it tastes authentically Thai, you can really give it a good spice with a second pepper, and it may convert me from my distaste for peanuts in any form besides -butter. For such a quick mix of flavors, you get an incredibly big dish. A little bit goes a long way, but a lot bit makes your belly and your soul feel so pleased.

Ingredients:

• 3 Tbs vegetable oil
• 2 Tbs fresh lime juice
• 2 tsp fish sauce
• 6 celery stalks, sliced thinly on a diagonal
• 3 scallions, sliced thinly
• 1-2 thinly sliced Thai peppers or one chopped Fresno chile pepper
• 1 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped roasted peanuts

To Prepare:

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the vegetable oil, lime juice, and fish sauce. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine all other ingredients, tossing.
3. Add the dressing and toss to coat evenly. Serve chilled.

Celery Soup

This one is the more complicated of the three recipes. Of note: go easy on the potato, or increase the amount of celery to really make this a celery-centric soup. But even with extra potato, you end up with a hearty, creamy soup with a beautiful green color and the freshness of celery. Do not skip out on garnishing with the leaves - they add a huge pop of flavor here!

Ingredients:

• 1 head of celery, chopped
• 1 medium red potato
• 1 chopped yellow onion
• 1 stick of unsalted butter (shush, you! I never said this one was healthy!)
• salt
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 1/4 cup fresh dill
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• celery leaves, olive oil, flaky salt

To Prepare:

1. Combine celery, potato, onion, and butter in a large sauce pan. Season with salt, and cook over medium heat until the onion is tender, about 8 minutes.
2. Add chicken stock, bring to a simmer, and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.
   
3. Add the dill. Pour into a food processor or using an immersion blender, and puree. Pour the puree back into the pot.
   
   
   
   
4. Add the heavy cream, and stir to incorporate.
   
5. Serve in 4 bowls, topped with celery leaves, olive oil, and a sprinkle of flaky salt.

Et voila! Bon appetit!