Braised celery makes a light, healthy summer dish

Isn’t it a shame that most of us only know a few things to do with that fat, wonderful celery? I mean, besides stirring a Bloody Mary. Really, we put it in salads, or in soup. Or, we fill the stalks with cream cheese or peanut butter. How lame is that?

Since I had bought some beautiful celery at the market the other day, it occurred to me that there must be something else I could do to showcase the crisp, clean, fresh celery flavor. I found this recipe from the Food Networks Alton Brown, and then adapted it to something that would be great out on the patio during the summer heat.

Here’s Alton’s Braised Celery recipe (then I’ll tell you what I did):

• 8 stalks celery, rinsed and trimmed, leaves chopped and reserved
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• Pinch kosher salt
• Pinch freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup good quality beef stock or broth

Directions

Peel any of the fibrous outer stalks of celery with a vegetable peeler and slice into 1-inch pieces on the bias.

Heat the butter in a 10-inch sauté pan over medium heat. Once melted, add the celery, salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes until just beginning to soften slightly. Add the beef broth and stir to combine. Cover and reduce the heat to low. Cook until the celery is tender but not mushy, approximately 5 minutes. Uncover and allow the celery to continue to cook for an additional 5 minutes or until the liquid has been reduced to a glaze. Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with the reserved leaves.

Now, here’s what I was after - considering that I wanted tomatoes in the game:

I braised the celery - prepared at Brown did - with sliced Walla Walla onions and garlic in olive oil rather than butter. Then I added a small handful of drained and rinsed caper berries and a large can of low sodium diced tomatoes rather than the beef broth. I let it simmer over very low heat with the lid on, adding cracked pepper, fresh oregano, thyme and parsley from the garden. Adjust the salt to taste.

After all was tender and yummy, I let it cool down in the refrigerator. We like this at room temperature with a bit of white balsamic or Spanish Jerez sherry vinegar drizzled on it. In the photo, I’d topped it with some crumbled feta cheese, serving it with some olives, fresh cantalope and crusty artisan bread for a quick, healthy mid-day meal.

Everybody loves this dish, and it’s easy on the stomach during hot weather. It keeps well, being even tastier, cold, the next day for lunch with a sandwich. This would also be a really different potluck item you may want to try for the next summer patio party.