# I'm a Celery addict!!!!



## Snip 13 (Oct 7, 2012)

I've always loved celery raw and cooked but for about a month or so I haven't been able to go a day without it. Some days I will scoff a whole bunch!
I eat it plain and use the leaves to make celery tea with a dash of lemon.
I should probably try eating it with healthy dips too since I eat so much that I'm afraid I might not be eating enough other foods.

I love them dipped in Virgin Mary's and hummus. Any other ideas?
Please no mayo based recipes, don't really care for mayo!


----------



## CraigC (Oct 7, 2012)

Some folks really like peanut butter and pimento cheese to "stuff" with. There is a dressing in the US called Durkee's. I like it with celery and other crudite, especially cauliflower. I have never tried this, but here is a link to a clone.
Durkee Famous Sauce Clone Recipe - Food.com - 108402

A nice blue cheese works well too, IMO.


----------



## Snip 13 (Oct 7, 2012)

CraigC said:


> Some folks really like peanut butter and pimento cheese to "stuff" with. There is a dressing in the US called Durkee's. I like it with celery and other crudite, especially cauliflower. I have never tried this, but here is a link to a clone.
> Durkee Famous Sauce Clone Recipe - Food.com - 108402
> 
> A nice blue cheese works well too, IMO.


 
I'll try the recipe thanks. It looks more like a mustard sauce but I love mustard. We get get Durkey sauce here but it's a tangy chilli sauce. Must be a different kind.


----------



## Aunt Bea (Oct 7, 2012)

I usually make a gratin out of the last few stalks of celery in a bunch.

I cut the stalks into bite size pieces and cook them until almost tender then put the stalks in a shallow baking dish.  I make a cream sauce out of flour, butter, milk and some of the cooking liquid.  I sometimes add a little grated cheese and then I top it with some breadcrumbs and dot it with butter or drizzle it with olive oil.  I bake it for about 30 minutes at whatever temperature the other things I am making for dinner require.  This is also good with a mixture of other vegetables, cabbage, onions, carrots etc.

Drying the leaves in an oven with a pilot light (remember those) or in the microwave on a paper towel is a good way to add a hint of celery flavor to other dishes.  When the leaves are dry store them in a jar and crumble a few into whatever dish you are making.


----------



## Snip 13 (Oct 7, 2012)

Aunt Bea said:


> I usually make a gratin out of the last few stalks of celery in a bunch.
> 
> I cut the stalks into bite size pieces and cook them until almost tender then put the stalks in a shallow baking dish. I make a cream sauce out of flour, butter, milk and some of the cooking liquid. I sometimes add a little grated cheese and then I top it with some breadcrumbs and dot it with butter or drizzle it with olive oil. I bake it for about 30 minutes at whatever temperature the other things I am making for dinner require. This is also good with a mixture of other vegetables, cabbage, onions, carrots etc.
> 
> Drying the leaves in an oven with a pilot light (remember those) or in the microwave on a paper towel is a good way to add a hint of celery flavor to other dishes. When the leaves are dry store them in a jar and crumble a few into whatever dish you are making.


 
I'll try that, it sounds great! How do you cook the celery? Pan fry, boil, steam ?


----------



## Aunt Bea (Oct 7, 2012)

Snip 13 said:


> I'll try that, it sounds great! How do you cook the celery? Pan fry, boil, steam ?



I boil/steam them in as little water as possible and then add that flavored water to the milk for the cream sauce.  

I always seem to use slightly tired vegetables for this and it is always good.

I bet it would be *GREAT* if I used fresh vegetables!


----------



## taxlady (Oct 7, 2012)

Aunt Bea said:


> I boil/steam them in as little water as possible and then add that flavored water to the milk for the cream sauce.
> 
> I always seem to use slightly tired vegetables for this and it is always good.
> 
> I bet it would be *GREAT* if I used fresh vegetables!


Often the tired vegis have more concentrated flavour, because they have lost water.


----------



## Aunt Bea (Oct 7, 2012)

taxlady said:


> Often the tired vegis have more concentrated flavour, because they have lost water.




Maybe I'm not old, maybe I'm just concentrated!


----------



## Snip 13 (Oct 7, 2012)

Aunt Bea said:


> Maybe I'm not old, maybe I'm just concentrated!


 
I think aged like a fine Red wine


----------



## Caslon (Oct 7, 2012)

I like watching the sparks fly when I microwave celery.


----------



## Dawgluver (Oct 7, 2012)

Aunt Bea said:
			
		

> Maybe I'm not old, maybe I'm just concentrated!



Love the perspective, Aunt Bea!  Guess I'm concentrated too!


----------



## Snip 13 (Oct 7, 2012)

Keep your eyes on the ball guys lol! Celery ideas please not how to pickle grannies :P


----------



## sparrowgrass (Oct 8, 2012)

I grew celery this year, and I was surprised at how easy it was.  I started it from seed in February, planted it out after the danger of frost was past.  I mulched it heavily with straw, and just let it grow.  I 'stole' stalks as the summer progressed, and harvested when it was big enough.  I ate a LOT fresh, and sliced a lot with the food processor for the freezer.  (I think I had to blanch it, but I don't remember right now.)

A couple of the harvested plants have resprouted, so I have some fresh celery out in the garden right now!  The frozen packets are great in soup or tomato sauce, and I think I will try the casserole dish posted above.  I love celery, too, Snip!!


----------



## Snip 13 (Oct 8, 2012)

sparrowgrass said:


> I grew celery this year, and I was surprised at how easy it was. I started it from seed in February, planted it out after the danger of frost was past. I mulched it heavily with straw, and just let it grow. I 'stole' stalks as the summer progressed, and harvested when it was big enough. I ate a LOT fresh, and sliced a lot with the food processor for the freezer. (I think I had to blanch it, but I don't remember right now.)
> 
> A couple of the harvested plants have resprouted, so I have some fresh celery out in the garden right now! The frozen packets are great in soup or tomato sauce, and I think I will try the casserole dish posted above. I love celery, too, Snip!!


 
It is fab isn't it? I really must try and eat a bit less though. It's filling and I don't always want my dinner after snacking on it all day long lol!

I like the large slightly lighter stalks fresh and the thinner darker ones for cooking. The dark stalks have much more flavour but I find them too dry for eating as is.

You should try making celery leaf ice. I chop the leaves. pop them in ice trays and fill with water. The ice can be added to Virgin Mary's and into soups, stews etc.


----------



## PhilinYuma (Oct 9, 2012)

Yesterday, I pulled out my old, TimeLife _Snacks and Sandwiches_ book for an enquirey about sandwich making. It has two recipes for "stuffed" celery. I haven't tried either -- I'm not that keen on uncooked celery -- but you might enjoy them. Each involves making a paste and filling the trench in a celery rib with it. The ribs are cut into 1" - 2" lengths and chilled before serving.
1) 6oz. cream cheese, 1tsp. white vinegar, 1tbsp. light cream [half and half],
1tsp curry powder, 5 tbsp. finely chopped curry.
2) 1/2lb. cream cheese, 1tbsp. grated onion, 1/3 cup fresh parsley, 1/3 cup red caviar [you can buy an inexpensive substitute in US supermarkets].
Come to think of it, I have all the ingredients for #1 at hand, and my home canned chutney is already finely chopped, so maybe I'll try that next time I buy a celery heart.
Cheers


----------



## kadesma (Oct 9, 2012)

I've been thinking Snip  Yes I can think there are so many dips out there. I love to dip celery in my dad's Avocado dip or a nice Quac, or cream cheese with jezabel sauce?Shrimp butter this is usually put out to serve with thin sliced white or rye bread, how about eating some shrimp salad with the celery instead of a fork?Some sort of pate? Just some of my nutty ideas if anything sound good to you give a holler.
kades


----------



## Snip 13 (Oct 9, 2012)

kadesma said:


> I've been thinking Snip  Yes I can think there are so many dips out there. I love to dip celery in my dad's Avocado dip or a nice Quac, or cream cheese with jezabel sauce?Shrimp butter this is usually put out to serve with thin sliced white or rye bread, how about eating some shrimp salad with the celery instead of a fork?Some sort of pate? Just some of my nutty ideas if anything sound good to you give a holler.
> kades


 
What is shrimp butter and jezabel sauce? My Gran always called the forward girl Jezabels 
Shrimp salad sounds great and  the cream cheese and whatshamacalit sauce


----------



## vitauta (Oct 9, 2012)

my favorite hummus, either roasted garlic or spicy pepper (athenos brand), goes beautifully with crunchy celery sticks--they are a natural coupling.  i am also dipping radish and cucumber slices in the hummus, and they are a good together too.  but celery is my favorite dipper--at least so long as pita bread is prohibited while i'm following the medifast diet.  and, besides being sooo yummy, hummus is a relatively low fat, low sugar and low carb food.


----------



## Snip 13 (Oct 9, 2012)

vitauta said:


> my favorite hummus, either roasted garlic or spicy pepper (athenos brand), goes beautifully with crunchy celery sticks--they are a natural coupling. i am also dipping radish and cucumber slices in the hummus, and they are a good together too. but celery is my favorite dipper--at least so long as pita bread is prohibited while i'm following the medifast diet. and, besides being sooo yummy, hummus is a relatively low fat, low sugar and low carb food.


 
I love love love hummus! We don't get the athenos brand here but I make my own roasted garlic hummus and that's good with celery too.  I'll look at the import section at the grocer just incase anyway  Thanks V


----------



## kadesma (Oct 9, 2012)

Snip 13 said:


> What is shrimp butter and jezabel sauce? My Gran always called the forward girl Jezabels
> Shrimp salad sounds great and the cream cheese and whatshamacalit sauce


 Jezabel sauce is ,apple jelly, pineapple preserves, horseradish, dry mustard and black pepper freshlyy cracked. But I'd wager you would love pickapepper sauce,poured over a 8 oz. block of cream cheese, Shrimp  butter is shrimp cooked then chopped, 8oz. cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter softened,2 Tab. whites only green onions minced,4 tab. lemon or lime juice 1/4 tea. dill weed,Tabasco to your taste this is spread over bread rounds but, after mixing  everything I'd use the celery to dig into this instead of putting it on white or rye rounds. Oh as to the girls, my dad got that phrase from his ma, my grandma oh my was she a a crumudgeon
kades


----------



## Snip 13 (Oct 10, 2012)

kadesma said:


> Jezabel sauce is ,apple jelly, pineapple preserves, horseradish, dry mustard and black pepper freshlyy cracked. But I'd wager you would love pickapepper sauce,poured over a 8 oz. block of cream cheese, Shrimp butter is shrimp cooked then chopped, 8oz. cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter softened,2 Tab. whites only green onions minced,4 tab. lemon or lime juice 1/4 tea. dill weed,Tabasco to your taste this is spread over bread rounds but, after mixing everything I'd use the celery to dig into this instead of putting it on white or rye rounds. Oh as to the girls, my dad got that phrase from his ma, my grandma oh my was she a a crumudgeon
> kades


 

The Shrimp butter sounds great and I don't know what picakapepper sauce is but I pour sweet chilli sauce over cream cheese or chunky cottage cheese Yum!
Jezabel sauce sounds a bit sweet for my liking but my kids will love it!
Thanks Kades


----------

