Creamy Celery Soup
Excerpted from “Six Seasons” by Joshua McFadden (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2017.
45 mins
Makes 4 servings
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 head celery or 10 stalks of celery, cut into 1-inch pieces, leafy tops chopped and reserved
1 small onion diced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 cups vegetable stock or water
1 cup heavy cream
For the garnish:
1/2 cup roughly chopped, lightly toasted walnuts
1/2 cup raisins, plumped in water for 15 minutes and drained
1 teaspoon celery seed
Extra-virgin olive oil
Put the butter, celery and onion in a large pot over medium heat. Season lightly with salt and pepper and cook the vegetables slowly until they have begun to soften and release their juices, about 8 minutes. Don’t let the vegetables brown at all.
Add the stock, adjust the heat to a simmer, and cook until the celery and onion are completely tender, about 30 minutes. Let the soup cool a bit, then process in a blender to make a smooth puree. You might need to do this in batches.
Meanwhile, toss together the reserved chopped celery leaves, walnuts, raisins and celery seed in a bowl and moisten with a few drops of olive oil.
Return the puree to the pot, add the cream, and bring everything to a low simmer. Cook for about 5 minutes to soften the raw cream flavor. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper. Divide into serving bowls and top with the walnut-raisin mixture.
Note: This soup is so simple and pure in flavor I often serve it unadorned. Make a simple topping with a few torn croutons, a grating of Parmigiano, or a swirl of extra-virgin olive oil, or go all the way with the unexpected sweet and nutty topping.
Celery Salad With Dates, Almonds and Parmigiano
our favorite way to enjoy celery — delicious in any season!
Excerpted from “Six Seasons” by Joshua McFadden (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2017.
“This is one of my favorite dishes. It’s so simple, but the combination of ingredients creates a wonderful, intriguing aroma. Try to use really good olive oil for this salad.” — Joshua McFadden
Prep time: 15 to 20 minutes (excluding almond-toasting and celery-chilling) | Very easy
4 servings
Ingredients
8 celery stalks (leaves separated and reserved), tough fibers peeled off, sliced on an angle into 1/4-inch-thick pieces
4 Medjool dates, pitted and roughly chopped
1/2 cup roughly chopped toasted almonds (see below)
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon dried chile flakes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, shaved into shards with a vegetable peeler
Extra-virgin olive oil
To prepare
OPTIONAL: Put the celery in a bowl of ice water and soak for about 20 minutes to heighten the crispness. Drain and pat dry, then pile into a medium bowl.
Add the celery leaves, dates, almonds, lemon juice, and chile flakes and toss together. Season generously with salt and black pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Add the Parmigiano and 1/4 cup olive oil and toss gently. Taste again and adjust the seasoning so you have a lovely salty, tart, sweet balance.
Serve cool.
Toasted Almonds
You can toast nuts and seeds a number of ways — in the oven, in a dry skillet, with high heat or low heat (or brined and roasted) — but your goal is to go from raw, bland, and soft to fragrant and crunchy. The color should be just a few shades darker than the raw nut or seed and should be even, not simply dark around the edges.
Quantity is up to you
Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Spread the nuts on a pan in a single layer. For a small quantity, a pie plate is good; for more, use a rimmed baking sheet.
Bake until you smell the nuttiness and the color is deepening slightly, 6 to 8 minutes for most whole nuts.
When the nuts are done, transfer them to a plate so they don’t keep cooking on the hot baking pan.
Determining doneness can be tricky because the final texture won’t develop until they’re cool, so at this stage, you’re mostly concerned with color and flavor. To be safe, take them from the oven, let cool, taste one, and if not done enough, pop them back into the oven.
Recipe from “Six Seasons: A New Way With Vegetables” by chef Joshua McFadden
Celery Salad with Apple Vinaigrette
Celery Salad with Apple Vinaigrette
Ingredients
For the apple vinaigrette:
1 medium Granny Smith apple (any other kind of tart apple works just fine)
4 sprigs fresh parsley
1 clove garlic
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
2 teaspoons maple syrup or honey
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
For the salad:
1 medium bunch celery (about 8 large and medium stalks)
1 medium shallot or a bug farms red onion
6 pitted dried Medjool dates
1/2 cup roasted, salted almonds
1/3 cup grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese, plus more as needed
Instructions
Prepare the following, adding each to a large bowl as you complete it: Core 1 medium Granny Smith apple, then finely dice until you have about 1 cup. Finely chop the leaves and tender stems of 4 fresh parsley sprigs (about 2 tablespoons). Finely grate or mince 1 garlic clove.
Add 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 2 teaspoons maple syrup or honey, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, and whisk to combine. While whisking constantly, slowly pour in 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil and whisk until all of the oil is incorporated. Taste and season with more kosher salt and black pepper as needed.
Prepare the following, adding each to the bowl of the vinaigrette as you complete it: Pick the leaves from 1 medium bunch celery. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the tough fibers from the outside of the stalks. Trim and thinly slice the stalks on a slight diagonal until you have about 6 cups. Thinly slice 1 medium shallot (about 1/3 cup). Coarsely chop 6 pitted dried Medjool dates (about 1/2 cup). Coarsely chop 1/2 cup roasted, salted almonds. Add 1/3 cup grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese.
Toss to coat. Taste and season with more kosher salt and pepper as needed. Garnish with more Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese if desired