Celery is a plant of the umbrella family, which in ordinary life an ignorant person will not even pay attention to. Outwardly unattractive, it is, according to experts, considered a real storehouse of health. Moreover, unlike other crops, almost everything is useful in it: the root, stem, leaves and even seeds. Valuable human components are evenly distributed over all its constituent parts. Of particular note is the celery stem. It is also called the petiole. In the field of cooking, this vegetable around the world is perhaps the most popular garden herbs.
Growing vegetables
Stem celery is a plant that prefers moist, well-fertilized soil, it is resistant to low temperatures, although the warm Mediterranean is considered its homeland. In Russia, it is not common. But in Europe, this valuable culture enjoys well-deserved respect.
Initially, it was used only for medicinal purposes. And only relatively recently, stem celery began to be used in cooking. It is quite possible to grow it in the garden. It is only necessary to stock up on seeds in advance. Moreover, experts argue that their germination capacity over the years only increases. Within three weeks they will germinate. This will require a warm and well-ventilated area, as well as regular watering. Then the seedlings need to be placed in open ground and, properly caring for it, wait for the harvest. It should be noted that this plant is very finicky, and it is rather troublesome to keep. A moderate, timely watering and constant weeding is necessary so that the capricious culture develops correctly. Only in this case, you can get juicy, elastic and fleshy stems.
Main varieties
In Russia, celery began to grow relatively recently. Perhaps that is why the choice of varieties is relatively small. Among them, the most famous are:
- Malachite. This is stem celery with the shortest growing season. Literally 80 days after the appearance of the sprouts, the juicy petioles are ready for use.
- Gold. This variety ripens within 5 months. Its distinctive feature is that the stems have virtually no voids inside.
- Pascal. Dark green petioles with a height of about 22 centimeters appear after 100 days.
- Triumph. After 130 days, petioles of a pleasant emerald color can be used as food.
- Tango is a high yield variety. True, this requires about six months. But by the time of ripening, delicate and very fragrant stems acquire an original bluish-green hue.
With proper care, any of these varieties will surely please the hostess with a good harvest.
Cooking Application
For cooking, you can use all parts of this vegetable. Nevertheless, recipes with stem celery are of greatest interest for home use. Juicy and fleshy petioles are often fried, baked, stuffed or used to make various salads. Their spicy, salty taste with light bitterness goes well with fish, meat or other vegetables. In addition, it is from fleshy stems that juice is squeezed, which is very healthy. There are recipes with celery stem, which do not require special skills. For example, consider the simplest chicken salad. To work, you need the following set of products:
- 450 grams of boiled breast 1 celery stalk, a little salt, 125 grams of sour cream, 1 grapefruit, 50 grams of peanuts, a teaspoon of lemon peel and black pepper.
Salad preparation method:
- Cut the breast and pulp of grapefruit into cubes. From citrus, you must first remove the seeds and clean its slices from the films.
- Finely chop the celery.
- Mix the products in a deep bowl.
- Make the sauce. To do this, add zest, salt, a little pepper and whisk it all well in sour cream.
- Mix the mixture with fresh sauce.
- For added flavor, add roasted, ground peanuts.
This salad looks very impressive and can become a decoration on any table.
Mouth-watering soup
It is very easy to cook stalk celery soup. A simple process takes very little time. In addition, for cooking you will need the simplest products:
- for 3 liters of water, 500 grams of celery stalks, 1 carrot, 2 tomatoes, 550 grams of cabbage, onion, 1 pod of bell pepper and 15-20 grams of vegetable oil.
Preparing the soup is very simple:
- First, fresh celery stalks need to be crushed across, and then pour them into a pot of boiling water and leave to cook over low heat.
- At this time, you need to cut the onions into cubes, grind the carrots, and then spasser them in oil.
- Chop cabbage and add it to celery.
- Peel the tomatoes. To do this, they must first be rinsed with boiling water. Cut the remaining pulp into cubes and send to the pan.
- Grind the pepper, after cleaning it from seeds. Those who do not like this vegetable can just dip its halves in boiling soup for 10 minutes, and then remove them and discard them.
- Put the frying and salt a little. Products should boil a little together.
- Remove the pan from the heat and let the dish brew for at least 20 minutes.
After that, stem celery soup can be poured into plates and served.
Slimming Dishes
Due to its low calorie content, celery is absolutely safe for overweight people. They can eat it without restriction. And given the fact that it goes well with almost all products, stem celery dishes are often advised to cook during the diet. For example, there is a very interesting version of the salad, which uses the following components:
- 1 boiled egg, 1 boiled carrot and 1 fresh stalk of celery, as well as yogurt, salt and black pepper.
The cooking technology of this dish is simple:
- First, all products must be crushed. This can be done arbitrarily. You can simply crumble the eggs, and cut the vegetables into cubes or straws. The type of mixture in this case does not matter.
- The resulting mass must be slightly salted, and then seasoned with yogurt (non-greasy). For flavor, you can add a little pepper.
In general, dishes from stem celery are a real find for nutritionists. With their help, you can perfectly satisfy your hunger, without adding extra pounds.
Preparatory stage
Before starting work, all products, as a rule, must be specially prepared. Celery in this case is no exception. If young stalks are used for cooking, then this step can be omitted. In the case of large shoots, the situation is different. Therefore, you must know in advance how to peel the celery stem. In an adult plant, a very thick, coarse film is usually formed on the surface. If it is not removed, the cooked dish will turn out tough and tasteless.
In such a situation, proceed as follows:
- First you need to remove the lower part of the stems, cutting it off with a knife.
- Rinse the petioles thoroughly under running water. They should be bright green. If among them yellow shoots come across, then it is better to throw them away.
- Carefully cut the stiff film along the entire length of the stem. This is easy to do with a vegetable knife.
A product thus prepared can be safely used further for its intended purpose. The hostess should not only know how to peel the celery, but also understand why this is done. Then each dish prepared from this plant, it will turn out tasty and healthy.
The energy value
The low calorie content of stem celery is its hallmark. Scientists have found an explanation for this fact. The fact is that juicy petioles contain a lot of fiber. As you know, the human body completely digests this substance and does not utilize it. That is, by eating the stems, you can be sure that they will not "settle" in the subcutaneous tissues in the form of a "reserve for a rainy day." In addition, fiber is actively involved in cleaning the intestines. It not only forms fecal masses, but also contributes to their fastest movement out. Therefore, in large quantities, celery acts as a laxative. In principle, this is even good. Waste products do not stagnate, but are quickly eliminated from the body. This creates a feeling of lightness and significantly improves mood, which is especially important for people with excess weight during the diet.
As you know, 100 grams of celery contains only 13 kilocalories. In addition, it is a very aromatic product with a slightly salty taste. Low calorie stem celery allows you to add it to a variety of dishes. Moreover, salt in this case can not even be used. Celery will replace it without compromising on taste.
Benefit and harm
Today, many are trying to use petiole celery for cooking. But experts advise doing this very carefully. Before you begin to work, you need to find out all the positive and negative properties of stem celery. Only then can you be sure that the cooked food will benefit the body.
Among the positive qualities of this plant is worth noting:
- Beneficial effect on the genitourinary system and kidney activity due to the presence of sodium in the composition.
- The stems of this culture consist of coarse fibers that normalize the digestion process and intestinal motility. In addition, they help remove toxins and lower blood cholesterol.
- The presence of vitamin C and potassium in the composition improves the state of blood vessels and blood circulation.
- The essential oils contained in the pulp have an antiseptic effect and enhance the production of gastric juice.
- Regular consumption of celery improves performance and strengthens the immune system.
- The plant contains antioxidants that prevent the aging of the body.
But celery itself is not so safe:
- The essential oils contained in it can cause an allergic reaction.
- The diuretic properties of the plant are dangerous for those who have kidney stones, as they can provoke their movement.
- People suffering from varicose veins or thrombophlebitis should better refrain from eating celery dishes.
- Doctors, too, are not advised to pregnant women to get involved in this product.
But in limited quantities, celery is not able to do harm.
Heat treatment
We should also pay attention to the main dishes with stem celery. To preserve the beneficial properties of this product, heat treatment must be carried out very carefully. For example, you can very tasty bake fish. It will take very little time. To work, you will need:
- 3 carcasses of mackerel, salt, 3 cloves of garlic, 17 grams of vegetable oil, 1 bunch of celery and basil and a little black pepper.
Such a dish is prepared quickly and simply:
- First you need to gut the fish and rinse thoroughly.
- On the sides with a sharp knife, make small incisions and insert basil leaves in them. If smaller portions are required, then the carcass can simply be cut into pieces.
- Coarse chopped and washed stalks of celery. The length of each piece should be no more than 3 centimeters.
- Peeled garlic just crush the flat side of the knife.
- Cover the baking sheet with foil.
- Spread celery on it. He will play the role of "pillow". Place garlic next to it.
- Put fish on top and sprinkle it with oil.
- Wrap the foil and tightly clamp the edges.
- Place the pan in the oven for 20 minutes. Bake at 220 degrees.
A tender, fragrant and very tasty fish will be a great dinner or a great addition to lunch.