CELERY
 

Celery is one of those vegetables whose use extends far beyond “Ants On A Log” or the crudité platter – as it fits perfectly into an array of soups, salads, stews and stir-fries.

COOKING NOTES: Celery is an essential ingredient, along with onion and carrot in forming the basis of the famed combination known as mirepoix in France, battuto in Italian, and the Spanish have their version, soffrito.  Each is blend of finely diced veggies that is sautéed in olive oil or butter to form a rich base for soups and sauces. Fennel is often included in mirepoix when making the classic fisherman’s soup of France, bouillabaisse. But the “Holy Trinity” in Cajun cooking trades the carrots for bell peppers, and becomes the base for gumbo or ettoufee.

Those fibrous strings in the stalk are a reminder that celery is also rich in fiber, both soluble and insoluble. It’s the soluble pectin and insoluble stringy fibers that add bulk to the stool and promote regular elimination.

KEY NUTRIENTS, PHYTONUTRIENTS and HEALTH CONDITIONS THEY MAY BENEFIT:  Celery is part of the same family as carrots, fennel, parsley and parsnips and contains some of the same powerful antioxidants. These compounds give celery its unique flavor, and appear to help protect the intestinal mucosa, reduce inflammation and optimize uric acid metabolism. Celery is rich in vitamin C, beta-carotene, potassium and magnesium. Those minerals have earned celery the award of Nature’s Diuretic. Preliminary research suggests that regularly eating celery may lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels. These phytonutrients also appear to reduce inflammation and pain of osteoarthritis, and lower uric acid levels in gout.

FEATURED RECIPIES

• Dr. Sally’s Vegetable and Chicken Soup
• Nanni’s Stella’s Jewish Chicken Soup
• Red Lentil Dahl (Kitcheri)
• Minestrone
• Salmon Salad