How to properly peel celery and what to cook from it
Celery is a spicy vegetable that was brought to Russia from Mediterranean countries. Due to the content of a large amount of nutrients and vitamins, celery is considered a leader in terms of benefits among other vegetable crops. Essential oils, which are also included in its composition, give dishes a special aroma and rich taste. Every part of the plant, from root to leaves, is eaten. Raw celery, like processed celery, is tasty and healthy.
We will tell you how to properly clean the plant, store and use it.
What are the benefits of celery?
Before we study the methods of processing and consuming celery, let’s look at the reason for its popularity. A biennial aromatic plant forms a root crop in the first year, in the second year a flower stem develops from it and seeds ripen.
The plant stimulates appetite and has powerful antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and choleretic effects. It stimulates the activity of the kidneys, improves the separation of digestive juices, has a mild laxative effect, and increases blood supply to the genitals.
Vitamins | |
Vitamin PP | 0.4 mg |
Beta carotene | 4.5 mg |
Vitamin A (retinol equivalent) | 750 mcg |
Vitamin B1 (thiamine) | 0.02 mg |
Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) | 0.1 mg |
Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) | 0.08 mg |
Vitamin B9 (folic acid) | 21 mcg |
Vitamin C | 38 mg |
Vitamin E (tocopherol) | 0.5 mg |
Vitamin PP (niacin equivalent) | 0.5 mg |
Macronutrients | |
Calcium | 72 mg |
Magnesium | 50 mg |
Sodium | 200 mg |
Potassium | 430 mg |
Phosphorus | 77 mg |
Microelements | |
Iron | 1.3 mg |
The nutritional value | |
Calorie content | 13 kcal |
Squirrels | 0.9 g |
Fats | 0.1 g |
Carbohydrates | 2.1 g |
Alimentary fiber | 1.8 g |
Water | 94 g |
Starch | 0.1 g |
Ash | 1 g |
Organic acids | 0.1 g |
Mono- and disaccharides | 2 g |
Do I need to peel celery?
Celery can be leaf, petiole and root. And all these parts of the plant are eaten.
The leaves are added to food as a vitamin-rich green, along with parsley and dill. If the leaf part of the vegetable does not need to be further peeled, then housewives have questions about the root and petiole parts.
The stem is used to make juice, fresh salads and stews. It is recommended to peel it, because if the peel is thick, it can add bitterness to the dish.
Celery root looks like a turnip. Complex dishes are prepared with it: soups, sauces, roasts, salads. This part of the plant must be cleaned before cooking.
How to peel and cut celery
Celery is easy to process: the leaves are washed, the roots are cleared of the upper layers, and the stems are peeled only if they have a thick peel.
Roots
Cleaning the root is not much more difficult than processing carrots or turnips:
- Wash thoroughly under running water.
- Cut off the top and bottom parts with a sharp knife.
- Cut into several parts.
- Peel with a knife or vegetable peeler.
- Remove dark stains to white fiber.
- Cut out the spongy part of the rhizome (it is tasteless and there is no point in leaving it).
- Wash the peeled root thoroughly again.
- Cut into strips or cubes.
- To prevent it from darkening, fill it with water.
Stems
It is enough to wash the young petioles thoroughly; they do not need cleaning. They are distinguished from old ones by their bright green and fresh leaves.
Old petioles contain hard fibers that are bitter and can spoil the taste of the dish.
To clean a plant:
- Separate the stems from the base.
- Wash thoroughly.
- Using a knife (ordinary or for peeling vegetables), remove the hard fibers located on the surface.
Leaves
The leaves are used to season soups, salads or as a decoration for dishes along with parsley and dill. Therefore, they are simply washed.
How to cut
Usually peeled root and celery stalks are chopped into strips or cubes. You can also grate it. And the leaves are finely chopped, like regular greens, or torn by hand.
Processing methods
Celery is eaten both raw and as part of dishes. During heat treatment, the plant loses some useful properties.
The root is eaten raw form, adding to salads, cold soups. It is also boiled, fried, stewed, baked, marinated as a seasoning in main vegetable and meat dishes, soups and winter preparations.
The leaves are eaten fresh, dried, pickled and used as a seasoning.
The petioles are most often eaten raw, as part of freshly squeezed juices, smoothies and salads. They, like the root, are also added to many dishes.
Terms and conditions of storage
Celery cannot be stored for a long time, so it is recommended to buy it fresh. Shelf life depends on storage conditions and averages from 3 to 10 days.
In the refrigerator or cool cellar
Shelf life is from 7 to 15 days.
The vegetables are washed and dried with a paper towel. Then wrap it in cling film or foil or put it in a plastic bag or plastic container and put it in the refrigerator.
You can only store intact celery, without limp leaves or chopped stems. Otherwise it will go bad in a matter of days.
There are also ways to preserve root vegetables for up to two months:
- Stick the roots vertically into dry sand poured into a box or box. The petioles are left on the surface. A box of sand is stored in a basement or cellar.
- Root crops are placed in plastic bags, sprinkled with a layer of sand (2 cm), placed in a room with a temperature no higher than +1°C and a humidity of approximately 90%.
- The clay is diluted with water to a creamy substance. The root crop is covered with a layer of clay, dried and placed in rows in cool storage.
In the freezer
Shelf life – from 6 to 12 months.
It is recommended to store celery in small portions because it cannot be frozen several times.
The following methods exist:
- Cut into small pieces. Freeze in a bag or container. This is how, for example, dressing for dishes is prepared in advance.
- Grind using a blender or meat grinder. Ice trays are filled with the resulting mixture and placed in the freezer.
- The vegetable is frozen without chopping.
Leaf and petiole celery can be frozen whole: the stems with leaves are placed in a tightly closed container and placed in the freezer.
Celery root is also frozen. To do this, it is cut or grated, then packaged in small plastic bags.
At room temperature
Shelf life is from 2 to 3 days.
The longer celery is kept warm, the faster it loses its beneficial properties, taste and appearance. Therefore, you can store it at room temperature if you find a use for it in the near future.
For better preservation:
- Place the vegetable in the jar.
- Fill halfway with cold water.
- Place in a cool, dark place.
- The water is changed daily.
Dried
Shelf life – from 8 to 12 months.
All parts of the plant are suitable for drying.
Algorithm for preparing for drying:
- Rinse thoroughly.
- Remove dirt and skin if necessary.
- Slice thinly.
- Place on a baking sheet or tray.
- Place in a dry, cool place for 30-40 days, or in an oven or electric dryer for 4-6 hours.
- Then transfer it to a paper bag, fabric bag or glass jar.
Salted
Celery that has been salted can be stored all winter, because salt is a natural preservative.
Salting leaf celery is done as follows:
- 0.5 kg of plants are chopped or crushed using a meat grinder.
- Add 100 g of salt and mix.
- Add currant leaves or horseradish to taste.
- The mixture is filled into a clean container.
- Store salted celery at a temperature of +5...+7°C.
Celery dishes
Let's look at a few simple recipes for cooking celery.
Puree
Celery puree is a tasty and at the same time healthy side dish with a pleasant creamy consistency. It cooks quickly and can be an excellent alternative to traditional mashed potatoes.
Ingredients:
- celery root (medium) – half;
- potatoes – 1 pc.;
- garlic – 2 cloves;
- milk – 1 l;
- butter – 50 g;
- bay leaf – 1 pc.;
- cheese (grated) – 1 tbsp. l.;
- salt and pepper to taste.
Preparation:
- Peel celery and potatoes and cut into small cubes.
- Place the vegetables in a small saucepan, add garlic and bay leaf, pour in milk so that all ingredients are completely covered.
- When the milk boils, reduce the heat. Continue cooking the vegetables for 15-20 minutes (until the celery and potatoes become soft).
- Strain everything through a sieve (but do not pour out the milk!). The bay leaf is thrown away.
- Butter, cheese, salt, pepper and the milk in which they were boiled are added to the vegetables.
- Mix in a blender until smooth. The puree should become creamy.
The side dish is ready. You can serve with meat, fish, poultry or other vegetables.
Pickled celery
Pickled celery is a unique dish in its benefits, which, thanks to the pickling process, is healthier than the fresh plant.
Ingredients:
- celery stalk – 6-7 pcs. medium size;
- water – 1.5 l;
- garlic – 4-5 cloves;
- ground chili pepper – 0.5 tsp;
- black pepper (peas) – 7-10 peas;
- lemon – 1 pc.;
- sugar – 2 tbsp. l.;
- salt – 2 tbsp. l.;
- parsley stem - 1 bunch.
Preparation:
- Peel the celery stalk and cut into small pieces.
- Peel the garlic and cut into thin strips.
- Place black pepper, garlic, parsley, and celery in one container. Season with ground chili pepper.
- Take 1.5 liters of water into a saucepan, add sugar and salt and bring to a boil.
- Squeeze the lemon juice and add it to the pan after boiling.
- Remove from heat.
- The resulting hot liquid is poured over celery and spices.
- Cover with a plate on top. To make it fall inside, they put pressure, for example, a jar half filled with water.
- Leave the celery to cool at room temperature.
- After everything has cooled down, put it in the refrigerator for three days.
Pickled celery is ready.
Salad
A fresh and juicy salad of celery, cucumbers, walnuts and green onions will diversify the menu and enrich the diet with vitamins and minerals.
Ingredients:
- stalk celery – 180 g;
- fresh cucumber – 190 g;
- walnuts – 25 g;
- green onion – 10 g;
- sour cream – 2 tbsp. l.;
- salt to taste.
Preparation:
- All vegetables are washed and peeled.
- The stems are cut into small pieces.
- The cucumber is first peeled so that it does not taste bitter. Cut into thin strips.
- Green onions are finely chopped.
- Add vegetables to one container and mix.
- Season the salad with sour cream.
- Walnut kernels are chopped and added to vegetables.
- Salt and mix again.
You can serve the salad immediately after preparation.
Soup
Not only snacks are prepared from celery, but also hot dishes, such as soup.
Ingredients:
- celery stalk – 1 pc.;
- potatoes – 4 pcs.;
- onion – 1 pc.;
- carrots – 1 pc.;
- tomatoes – 1 pc.;
- salt and vegetable oil to taste.
Preparation:
- All vegetables are washed and peeled.
- Potatoes are cut into cubes.
- Celery is divided into small pieces.
- Add everything to the pan, add water, salt and set to cook.
- Grate carrots on a coarse grater.
- Finely chop the onion.
- Cut the tomato as finely as possible.
- Add everything to the pan along with butter and simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Stewed vegetables are added to the pan and cooked until tender.
- The finished soup is pureed in a blender.
- Then pour it back into the pan and boil.
Before consumption The soup is decorated with sprigs of herbs or pine nuts.
Smoothie
One of the most popular smoothie combinations is carrots and celery. They not only saturate the body with useful substances, but also give energy throughout the day.
Ingredients:
- petiole celery – 2-3 stalks;
- carrots – 1 pc.;
- orange – 1 pc.;
- honey to taste.
Preparation:
- Grate the carrots on a fine grater.
- Celery stalks are cut into thin slices.
- Grind everything in a blender.
- Squeeze juice from orange.
- Add to blender along with honey.
- Stir.
The smoothie is ready. If the taste is still bitter, you can add more honey.
Conclusion
A healthy spicy plant is recommended for inclusion in the diet in any form: as a seasoning, puree, pickled preparation, part of a salad, soup, stew or smoothie. Not all parts are cleaned, but only the root and the old petiole, covered with a thick, bitter skin. Store celery in a cool place or freezer.
It is recommended to carefully study the specifics of storing different parts of the plant: the root vegetable can be stored for up to a year, and fresh leaves - only a few days.