There’s just something about celery. And not in the good ‘There’s Something About Mary’ way. This green leafy vegetable has somehow managed to make itself one of the most integral components of French, Mediterranean, Latin American and Portuguese cooking, while simultaneously being impossible to find a use for in a day-to-day Indian kitchen. That’s some excellent marketing on the vegetable committee for sure.
So what do you do when you’ve bought a big bunch of celery, and used one or two stalks to make your mirepoix or sofrito for that new recipe you wanted to try? Luckily, celery is a pretty hardy plant which can withstand a couple of weeks in the fridge without completely disintegrating but longer than that, you’ll end up with a wilted, droopy bunch that’s pretty much only good for composting.
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To help you with this common kitchen quandary, here are a few ways to use up your celery, reduce food waste and repurpose it into something magnificent.
7 Ways To Use Up Leftover Celery
1. Freezer Solution
The most direct and uncomplicated way to preserve vegetables it to chuck them in the freezer. If you’re feeling fancy, you could also create your own ready-to-use mirepoix mix by chopping up blanched carrots, celery and onion in a 1:1:2 ratio and freezing them in portions ready-to-use. Blanched celery should last up to a year but fresh frozen celery will probably only make it two months.
2. Celery Salt
This is a great way to use celery greens even if they aren’t leftover. Simply pluck off all the celery leaves (it doesn’t matter if they’ve gone a bit yellow) and spread them flat on a baking tray making sure that they don’t overlap. Pop them in a preheated oven at around 100 C and let them crispy up for 20 minutes. When they’re done, either grind them with a mortar and pestle and mix with the salt of your choice or roughly crush them and put them in a spice grinder ready to season your next soup or salad.
3. Celery Syrup
This is a fancy solution for all the mixologists in the house. There’s been a rising trend of savoury elements in cocktails and celery offers a unique flavour to play with. The easiest way to make an infused syrup is to bring equal parts sugar and water to a boil with chunks of chopped celery and then when it reaches one string syrup consistency, strain it into an airtight bottle and use it at your discretion. It works best with clear spirits like gin and vodka along with citrus additions.
4. Cocktail Garnish
The celery stick has been a staple of Bloody Mary’s for decades and it gives you something to chomp on while you try to forget your alcohol has tomato juice in it. But celery actually makes a wonderful garnish for drinks that are trying to prioritise a herbaceous profile. To maximise its potential pair it with the celery syrup for a truly unique drinking experience.
5. Celery Soup
When all else fails, turn to soup. Roast off your celery along with other root vegetables and seasonings, boil them up with some vegetable or meat stock and then blend it into a smooth soup along with lashings of heavy cream. It sounds simple, but you’ll end up with a rich, delicious broth that will make you forget that you’re eating celery.
6. Salad
Does this sound like an obvious answer? That’s cos it is! Naturally, celery can be used in any old salad, but if you pair it carefully, it has a chance to shine. A roast chicken salad with chopped celery, a lemon vinaigrette and a creamy dressing allows all the elements to work in harmony.
7. Stock
This is a great waster reduction solution for most vegetables, not just celery. Keep all your vegetable trimmings and when you have a hefty amount, boil them in a large stock pot for 4- hours on a low heat along with the seasonings of your choice. Presto, you have a delicious stock that can be bottled, bagged, refrigerated or frozen, ready to use in any dish that calls for extra flavour.
So now you have some interesting solutions to get rid of that celery haunting your vegetable drawer, you can be a food waste warrior and put every stalk to good use.