Last of the Season Tomatoes with Celery
By David Harbilas
Celery is an unsung hero of the kitchen.
It rarely finds its way into a starring role on menus, which is a shame considering its abundance and versatility.
Most home cooks don’t consider it a versatile vegetable, since its use seems limited as part of an aromatic base for soups or stews.
Yet it takes well to pickling, braising, and raw preparations in salads. Here, I have paired it with a simple accompaniment of sliced tomatoes and a basic vinaigrette. Granted, the celery is used in three different methods—as a fried leaf garnish, pickled hearts of the stalks, and a traditional celery root remoulade.
The flavors feel less like fall, as the root comes into season, and more like the end of summer, with its characteristic sweetness and depth of flavor as the weather turns colder.
Serves 4
2 large ripe red tomatoes, or any variety of ripe heirloom tomatoes
4 stalks of celery from the heart, medium dice
4 tablespoons white wine vinegar
¼ cup water
2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
leaves from the heart of 1 bunch of celery
½ celery root, grated
Juice of ½ lemon
2 tablespoons prepared mayonnaise
½ shallot, minced
½ tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 tablespoon chopped chervil, if available
1 tablespoon sliced chives
A good quality extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
To prepare the pickled celery, bring the white wine vinegar, ¼ cup water, 2 teaspoons of sugar, and 1 teaspoon of salt to a boil and pour over the diced celery stalk. Let cool to room temperature. For the remoulade, place the grated celery root in a bowl with the lemon juice, mustard, mayonnaise, shallot, parsley, chervil, and chives. Mix well to combine and let sit for 30 minutes to allow the flavors to come together.
To prepare the fried celery leaves, heat a small pot of oil over medium-high heat. Fry the leaves in small batches, making sure they fry evenly and separately. Drain the leaves on paper towels. To assemble, slice the tomatoes and divide onto 4 different plates. Sprinkle with a little kosher salt and drizzle with the extra virgin olive oil.
Drain some of the celery root remoulade of its excess moisture and shape into 4 quenelles, laying them on top of each plate of sliced tomatoes. Garnish the remoulade with the fried celery leaves, and scatter the pickled celery stalk over and around the tomatoes. Serve.
