CELERY SALAD WITH MUSHROOMS WHITEBEANS AND FETA

Bonnie S. Benwick

Ok, so I came across this salad that I thought would be a pretty good combination of tastes.

I was right and everyone that has tried it agrees.

No leafy things .

Just Celery

“Only Celery”  you say!

If the only thing you know about Celery is it’s friends with  Hot wings, peanut butter , bloody Mary’s,

and filled with cream cheese at every family gathering that your Aunty Thelma  shows up at ………

You ‘ve got a lot to learn.

 

 

Celery is believed to be originally from the Mediterranean basin.

Ancient literature documents that celery, or a similar plant form, was cultivated for medicinal purposes before 850 B.C.

Archaeologists discovered a celery wreath in Tutankhamun’s tomb.

 

Folks in Egypt, Rome and China used the wild plant medicinally for a slew of ailments, but “usually for hangovers or as aphrodisiacs.”

(Lonely hearts beware: There’s no medical proof that celery helps with either.)

The Italians domesticated celery as a vegetable in the 17th century resulting in selections with solid stems. Early stalk celery had a tendency to produce hollow stalks.

 

CELERY IS A SUPER FOOD AND HAS BEEN FOR A LONG TIME

The possible health benefits of celery and its seeds, attributable to it’s volatile oils, include:
Lowering inflammation
Reducing blood pressure
Reducing the risk of cancer
Preventing age-related vision loss

 

 

CELERY IS VERY FANCY 

NO THIS IS NOT A JOKE FROM SCOTTY !

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Between 1800 and 1930 Celery was once a great luxury—one of the most fashionable foods to grace the table.

The wealthy served it as the centerpiece of every dinner, while the average middle-class family reserved it for the conclusion of holiday meals.

No Victorian household was complete without a glass celery vase—a tall, tulip-shaped bowl atop a pedestal—to prominently display the vegetable

 

Commercial Celery cultivation began in the early 1800s in the cool, damp wetlands of East Anglia

 

 

 ( that’s in England in case you fell asleep in Geography class )

It was fussy to grow and difficult to obtain—and this made it irresistible to the Victorian upper classes.
Celery appeared as a standalone dish in countless cookbooks and housekeepers’ guides.
It was served both braised and au naturel; it was presented au velouté (in a light gravy) and à la Espagniole (in a rich demi-glace).
“Plain celery” as well as “dressed celery” ( with mayonnaise ) were listed among the salads on a 1865 menu at the upscale Parker House Hotel in Boston.

Celery was served in a first-class cabin dinner with roast squab, cress, and pâté de foie gras aboard the Titanic.

 

 

In the 1850s celery seed was brought to Kalamazoo, Michigan from Scotland by George Taylor.

Dutch immigrants in the area caught on to the idea, and Kalamazoo became the “Celery Capital” of the nation.

Celery touted as “fresh as dew from Kalamazoo” was shipped throughout the U.S.

This was not to last. Celery production died out after a blight hit the area in the 1930s. Now the biggest producer of celery in the nation is California.

 

 

This is a good sauce for roasted or boiled fowls, turkeys, partridges, or any other game, so it says.

 

There was even a celery flavored Soda – Pop.

 

       

From the collection of Dennis I. Smith

Celery-Cola was a celery-flavored soft drink created in 1887 by James Mayfield and manufactured in Birmingham by his Celery-Cola Company from 1899 to 1910.

Mayfield, an Alabama chemist, and two other investors partnered with Atlanta, Georgia patent medicine entrepreneur John Pemberton in 1888
( yes the very same Coke -a – Cola guy )

The Pure Food and Drug Administration successfully prosecuted the company for unhealthful amounts of cocaine

( exactly how much would that be  I wonder ) and caffeine in its beverages.

It Closed in 1910.

 

 

It seem to have lived on tho………………..

 

It is fairly easy to find in New York City,

Dr. Brown’s sodas are kosher and are often found at Jewish delicatessens and restaurants

 

 

NOW

ON TO THE RECIPE :

 

4-6 servings

For the marinated celery:

2 tablespoons minced onion

2 tablespoons rice or other white wine vinegar

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon sugar

Couple three grinds  freshly ground black pepper

8 ribs celery (leafy stalks from the heart preferred), sliced very thin on the diagonal

1 cup cooked or canned white beans (rinsed and drained if canned)

 

For the roasted mushrooms

12 ounces babybels mushrooms, each cut into quarters

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 teaspoon salt

To  assemble:
1/4 cup chopped parsley

1/4 cup chopped fresh mint

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

3 ounces crumbled feta cheese

For the marinated celery:

Whisk together the shallot, vinegar, oil, salt, sugar and black pepper in a large salad bowl until the sugar has dissolved.

Add the celery and white beans, toss, and let marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

While the celery marinates,  chop herbs.

Reserve 2 tablespoons of the mixed herbs to garnish the salad.

Right before serving:

Toss the rest of the herbs with the celery and white bean mixture.

Heat  olive  in a med frying pan.

Add mushrooms and cook on med flame until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.

Arrange Celery mixture on a platter.

Top with the roasted mushrooms, crumbled feta and reserved herbs. Serve right away.

 

Eat and Enjoy!

DAVID ROCCO