Insalata di Sedano
This will surprise you.
By Erin Henderson
“It sounds gross, but it’s really good,” my sister stated her case for including a lemony celery salad at dinner.
She was just wrapping up a cooking course on the dishes of Central Italy, taught by our favourite Italian chef/cooking instructor, Ema Costantini.
Sure, celery salad sounds like the main course at a fundraising luncheon for high society ladies, but I didn’t doubt my sister. Ema’s food is so mind-blowingly delicious, I knew it would punch well above its weight.
It did.
You may also like: Radicchio Salad with Parmesan-Balsamic Vinaigrette
Italians love celery. They use it as part of the ensemble in the ubiquitous sofrito, but also as the star of the show in salads, braises, even parmigiana.
It can be a bit of a hard sell to Canadians who mostly use celery as a space holder in the crisper, finally throwing it out, unused, when it's faded and limp and starting to turn to mush at the bottom of the drawer.
If that's a story that seems all-too-familiar, I promise you, if you try Insalata di Sedano, you will be forever changed. It’s bright, fresh, crisp, and pairs beautifully as a counter balance to rich roasts and hearty meats.
Insalata di Sedano
Ema’s delicious recipe is for the classic celery salad with walnuts and parmesan is much simpler and streamlined, but I can’t leave well enough alone.
Not long ago I was at a Sicilian restaurant and had a fabulous salad of bitter radicchio, sweet dates, and salty ricotta salata. Remembering that combo, I used it here.
Makes: about 6 cups
Chef level: easy
Special equipment: Nutri Bullet or blender
Ingredients:
- 5 cups celery, washed and sliced thin on the bias.
- 4-5 large Madjool dates, pitted and chopped small
- ½ cup shallot, sliced thin and rings separated
- 1 cup toasted walnuts, roughly chopped
- Celery leaves, for topping
- 2 oz Parmesan, sliced with a vegetable peeler into wide ribbons
- ¼ cup + 1Tbsp fresh lemon juice + lemon zest from the lemons
- 2 tsp Kosher salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp honey
- 2 tsp white miso
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
How to Make It:
- Combine the celery, shallot, and dates in a large bowl. Add a sprinkling of salt and a Tablespoon of lemon juice over the mixture and stir. Allow this to sit while you make the dressing.
- In a blender or the cup of a Nutri Bullet, combine the remaining lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, pepper, honey, miso, and oil. Blitz until combined and emulsified.
- Pour over the celery mixture and stir well. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least an hour to allow the celery to soften slightly and pick up the flavours.
- When ready to serve, add in the walnuts and stir. Adjust for seasoning, adding more salt or pepper, and spoon onto a serving platter, topping with wide strips of Parmesan and a scattering of celery leaves.
Wine Pairing:
This salad had all the flavours going for it: tart, sweet, salty, and bitter. With all that going on, it can be a bit of a challenge to find something that will stand up to the salad, not shrink in its bold presence.
I think the way to go is a fruity Riesling, which has a naturally high acidity and a nod of sweetnees to pair beautifully with foods that have sour, sweet and bitter elements. The salt in the cheese will also promote the fruit in the wine.