Author Notes: You know I had sort of forgotten about the idea of roasted celery until this theme came along – but the I remembered that my stepmom LOVES it, and often makes big batches to keep on hand. It easy and delicious and healthy – what’s not to love? This recipe is dedicated to Jennie! —aargersi
Food52 Review: This was sublime. It’s going in my regular rotation. Easy? Check. Healthy? Double Check. Tasty? Oh my – check. It’s too easy to say this is like Thanksgiving stuffing without the bread – it’s way better than that. And who doesn’t have celery and mushrooms to use up on a weekly basis? Aargersi’s toasting of the cumin and celery seeds before lightly pulverizing them really brings out their flavor – as does the Sherry vinegar – so use a good one. I added more mushrooms because I had them, and do try to add the celery leaves – they provide so much fresh flavor. Even your kids will like this dish. —Burnt Offerings
Serves: 4
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Ingredients
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4
cups 1″ chunks of celery
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1
cup sliced mushrooms (I used cremini, baby bellas would work too or shitakes)
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1
cup sliced shallot
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1/4
cup olive oil
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1/4
cup sherry vinegar
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1
teaspoon whole cumin seed
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1/4
teaspoon whole celery seed
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1/4
teaspoon ground black pepper (plus a bit more)
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1
teaspoon fresh thyme
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kosher salt
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1/2
cup chopped celery leaves
Directions
- Heat the oven to 425°F.
- Put the celery seeds, cumin seeds and 1/4 tsp pepper in a small sauce pan and toast for a few minutes until they are fragrant. Turn off the heat and use a pestle to crush the seeds up some (or you can give them a quick grind – you don’t want powder though, you want to keep some texture) Add the vinegar and return to medium heat just until the vinegar is warm. Add the thyme and turn off the heat.
- Spread the celery, shallots and mushrooms out on the baking sheet. Cover with the oil and season with a generous pinch of salt and some pepper. Toss that all together so that everything is coated, then make sure they are spread evenly and pop them in the oven.
- Roast for about 15-20 minutes until the celery is starting to get tender but not mushy. When they are ready, put them in a bowl, toss with the vinegar, then the celery leaves, and serve. Just FYI – really good with roasted chicken and some wild rice.