Humble Celery

Am I the only person in the world who appreciates celery (and cousins celery root, stem celery, and lovage) as a vegetable? I love it raw, braised, pickled, any old way. When I make giardiniera, pickled vegetables, the celery is always the part that I eat first, followed quickly by the cauliflower.

Bias-cut celery and microcelery greens are key components of my Surry Sausage Salad, a dish beloved by many customers. I was particularly gratified a few weeks back when a customer said to me, "I am so glad that you treat celery as a vegetable in its own right. Nobody does that anymore."

With American Thanksgiving right around the corner, I thought that I would share this recipe/idea with you for it would be tremendous with turkey. I ran this celery salad/slaw with venison chops last week and I am so taken with my creation that I want to record it lest I forget it.

Celery-Cranberry Slaw

1 bunch celery, finely sliced across the grain
3/4 cup dried sweetened cranberries
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1 tablespoon sugar (or to taste)
2 tablespoons rice vinegar (or to taste, or other mild vinegar)

Mix well. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Let stand 15 minutes before serving. Looks worse and tastes much better after a day in the cooler.