Celery Salad

I make celery salad a lot.  I didn’t realize how often until I looked back over my “What We Ate” posts last weekend.  Isn’t it funny how a recipe can become such a staple part of your diet that you don’t even realize how often you go back to it?

I started making this salad decades ago, when I found the recipe in the first Harrowsmith Cookbook.  That recipe’s very basic – essentially just a single vegetable marinated overnight.  It appealed to me because celery is almost always both available and affordable.  Budget friendly dishes have always ranked high on my list.  :)

Of course I messed with the recipe over time.  It called for an entire bunch (stalk? head?) of celery, which was ‘way too much for the two of us.  I amended the quantities to suit our needs and, because it’s very plain, I took to dressing the salad up by adding additional fresh ingredients after the celery has marinated. 

Here’s the celery salad I made last week.  Do feel free to play with it.  Do as I do: Start with the marinated celery, then change it up from there.

To make Celery Salad, you’ll need:

• 1-1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1-1/2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cups sliced celery
• Salt and pepper to taste

Whisk the lemon juice and dry mustard together until the mustard is dissolved.   Stream in the vinegar while continuing to whisk, until the ingredients are combined and the oil emulsified.

Stir the dressing through the sliced celery, cover the bowl, and store it in the fridge for at least 24 hours.  When the celery has marinated, it’ll look pretty much the same but the flavour will be more complex.  Taste it and add salt and pepper if you want it.

At this point, I add other fresh ingredients to the salad, based upon what I have on hand at the time.  Usually I add about another 2 cups of other ingredients; an equal volume to the celery.  This time I added carrot I'd cut into match sticks, thinly sliced red onion, and cubed gala apple.

Once you’ve added the fresh ingredients, you’ll probably want more dressing.  I usually mix a second batch using the same quantities as the first. 

Sometimes I add some extra seasonings or flavours to the second batch of dressing, to compliment the added salad ingredients.  I didn’t add herbs or spices this time but I did add in a teaspoon of honey to compliment the natural sweetness of the carrot and apple. 

The resulting salad was flavourful, crisp, and refreshing; perfect for a summer supper.

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This post is linked to Hearth and Soul Blog Hop hosted by Premeditated Leftovers, The 21st Century Housewife, Elsa Cooks, Zesty South Indian Kitchen, Penniless Parenting, and Savoring Today.