Celery Salad with Walnut Vinaigrette ~ the flavors are mellow and sophisticated, and the crunch is awesome. In its own humble way, this recipe is a game changer.
If your first thought on reading the post title was meh, whatever, think again. This is my favorite kind of recipe to share and my favorite way to eat. Yes its spare, and you may not think of celery as delicious in its own right, but give it a chance. Put yourself into a zen state of mind and quietly contemplate the slightly salty, herby celery, and the creamy bitter walnuts. You’re going to love the walnut vinaigrette ~ drizzle the extra over ripe pears for dessert.
Celery is rarely given top billing in any recipe, so right away this is going to be a new experience. The flavor is subtle but pleasing, and the inner leaves have as much flavor as any herb. Look for a fresh head, without brown patches or wilted leaves. I like to use organic celery when I can find it Peel away the tougher outer stalks and save those for snacking with peanut butter. You want the heart of the head for this salad. (ok, that’s a little weird, but stay with me)
After giving the celery a thorough rinsing, you’re going to thinly slice it on the bias, leaves and all. Use a sharp knife for nice, clean cuts. Discard any bits of the core from the root end.
Unlike lettuce, celery will keep its crunch long after cutting, and in this case the salad gets even better after an hour or so in the fridge to encourage the celery to absorb some of the dressing. That makes it a nice choice for entertaining.
The dressing….where do I begin? It’s wonderful. I used walnut oil, which is fabulous to have around. You don’t cook with it, but rather savor its subtle flavor and light texture in salads. I used walnut vinegar, a specialty vinegar that compounds the walnut essence. If you can’t find it, you can use regular white wine or champagne vinegar. And then I used, of course, fresh walnuts. The three get blitzed in a small food processor into a pale emulsion that needs only a little salt and pepper to be just perfect.
Your mind is probably already exploring the possibilities. Could you add thin slices of tart Granny Smith apple? Little blobs of soft goat cheese or shavings of Parmigiano Reggiano? Shredded rotisserie chicken? Sure, but do me a favor, try this salad in all its naked glory first 🙂
Recipe inspired by Ina Garten.
Celery Salad with Walnut Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 1 head of celery
walnut vinaigrette
- 1/4 cup fresh walnuts, rough chopped, plus more for garnishing
- 3 Tbsp walnut vinegar, or white wine, or champagne vinegar
- walnut oil
- salt and fresh cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Rinse the celery well and remove the tough outer stalks. Cut off the root end but keep the whole head together.
- Thinly slice the head of celery, cutting on the diagonal. Use a sharp knife to get clean cuts.
- To make the dressing, put 1/4 cup of the nuts in a small 4-cup food processor. Process them until finely ground, you will have to scrape down the sides once or twice.
- Add the vinegar and process again. Then, while the machine is running, drizzle in the oil until you have an emulsion. Stop the machine and taste as you go until you get a balance of acidity that appeals to you.
- Add salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste.
- Toss the celery with enough dressing to coat lightly, and then put in the refrigerator for an hour or so.
- When ready to serve, top the salad more rough chopped walnuts and more dressing.
As much as I *want* to think “meh” about this recipe, something about it seems really compelling to me. Maybe it’s the simplicity. Maybe it’s that it’s celebrating an ingredient (celery) that usually take a lesser role. I don’t know. But I do know that I need to try it really soon!
Thanks, Lauren — I gained a new appreciation for celery after making this!
that vinaigrette is insane! Truly insane and i would love it. i do love it! I can;t wait to try it
Well, I’m not SURE about the celery, but that walnut dressing?! YES PLEASE!
I love the combination of celery & walnuts, and walnut oil is always in the pantry–must try!
Sue, you’re so right about celery. It definitely has been a “second fiddle” compared to so many other veggies but you’ve got me so intrigued with this salad. The dressing sounds amazing. And walnut vinegar? Once again you’ve introduced me to something new ….. and fun ….. I’ll be on the lookout for it 🙂
You know I’m a huge fan of vinegars, and I was thrilled to find a walnut infused one. The next step will be to try to make one of my own.
Yes, please! This salad sounds fantastic, and so simple. I bet it would be a perfect work lunch with an apple and a salted hard-boiled egg.
The flavor is reminiscent of a Waldorf salad, so the apple is a natural.
All it’s naked glory – so funny! I would be tempted to cut up some grape tomatoes 🙂 but I will try it naked first – the salad – not me! Have a wonderful week Ms Sue!
Love crunchy salads, and a walnut vinaigrette sound delicious. I make up a different vinaigrette every 4 to 5 days and use that dressing until it’s gone, making this next.
I do the same thing, I’m completely obsessed with making new variations. Now I will probably go off on a nut vinaigrette tangent for a while 🙂
I actually KNOW this will be an amazing salad – I think celery is the most under-rated veggie ever, poor thing!
and a walnut vinaigrette paired with it… WOW!
Pinning you right away, my friend!