7 delicious ways to enjoy celery

DID YOU KNOW?

High in nutrients, celery is part of the Apiaceae family, which includes carrots, parsnips, parsley, and celeriac.

HOW TO STORE…

Store celery in the fridge and leave the stalks attached to the base until you need to use them. Don’t put it in the coldest areas of your fridge because it can freeze easily. Another method to keep your celery crisp for longer is to stand the entire celery bunch in a large glass/jar of water inside the fridge. Change the water every few days - the celery will absorb the water inside the glass. 

If you don’t want to use it up straight away, celery freezes well. Rinse and chop up raw celery then freeze it on baking sheets for a few hours before transferring to reusable bags. It will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.

HOW TO PREP…

Snap them off the base as you need them, then rinse under cold water and chop. The leafy tops are edible and can be used in salads. 

Zero-waste tip: Don’t throw away the celery base. You can use it to grow more celery!Rinse the base off. Place it into a small bowl of water and position it near a sunny window. Every two days, change the water. It will take about a week for tiny yellow leaves to shoot up from the base and then turn dark green. After the leaves have grown about a 1 cm from the centre of the base, transplant it into a planter. Cover it with dirt, leaving the leaves exposed. Water it, and watch it grow!

7 WAYS TO COOK CELERY

Halve and chop the celery. Pan fry in butter for 5 minutes, or until lightly browned. Season with salt and pepper, then pour in vegetable stock. Cover with a lid and simmer for 20 minutes, until the vegetables are almost tender. Take the lid off and increase the heat to medium and continue to simmer for 5 more minutes, until the

liquid has reduced and become slightly syrupy. Serve the celery with the juices poured over and sprinkled with chopped walnuts and parsley. 

SAUTEED 

Rinse off the celery and cut the stalks into thin matchsticks. Heat a frying pan over high heat and add some olive oil. Sauté the celery pieces for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until just tender. Deglaze with a little soy sauce, season to taste and serve over rice. 

GRATIN/CRUMBLE 

Celery is a great vegetable to use in creamy baked gratin or savoury crumble. Chop the celery into bite size and place into a gratin dish. You can add other vegetables too such as carrot, cauliflower and kale - or anything you have on hands. Make a white sauce from butter, flour, milk and cheddar cheese. Pour over the celery. Make a savoury crumble mixture from flour, ground almond, butter and oats. Rub together with your fingertips until it resembles big breadcrumbs. Sprinkle over the vegetables, without pushing down to the sauce. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until golden and crisp. 

STOCK 

Use celery when making vegetable stock. Cut the celery into large chunks so they don’t disintegrate, and add to a saucepan with olive oil, onion, carrot and thyme. Cook over high heat to caramelise a little and cover with water. Simmer for 1 hour at least then pass through a sieve and use your stock for risotto, soup and gratin recipes. 

RAW 

Celery is a key component in the classic Waldorf salad which is made from chopped celery, apple, grape, walnuts, mayonnaise, lemon juice and seasoning. 

SOUP 

Celery makes a great addition to any soup recipes, but especially potato soup! In a saucepan, cook onion and celery over medium heat until caramelised. Cover with stock and add chopped potatoes. When the potatoes are cooked, blend until smooth. Season to taste and serve. 

BOILED 

Rinse off the celery and chop it into 2.5 cm pieces. Put the celery in a saucepan and cover it with water. Bring the water to a boil and simmer the celery for 10-15 minutes. Drain the celery and serve it immediately with salt, pepper and butter melting on the top.