Celery is, to me, one of the most underrated and underutilized vegetables. Even MORE so are celery leaves… They carry SO MUCH FLAVOR and people just toss them. Don’t toss them, use them! They add a ton of depth to soups, stews, sautes etc… BUT if you have left over leaves or are using the celery as a crudite (veggies and dip kind of thing) and don’t want to use the leaves, then I have the perfect use for those little green flavor buddies! Your drinks, salads, and sautes will be forever changed.
You will need:
Celery Leaves (chopped)
Salt
A few dashes of onion powder (optional)
Preheat your oven to 200F. Start with your bunch of celery (I picked an extra leafy one just for this).
Tear off all of the green leaves (including the light green ones hiding in the middle)
Once you’ve pulled them all, finely chop the leaves.
Spread the leaves on a baking sheet (do not grease it).
Bake for about 1 1/2 hours or until the leaves are completely dried out and crispy.
Transfer your dried celery into a bowl with about the same amount of salt as celery and find something to use as your mortar (I used a drink muddler).
Using your mortar, grind up the celery leaves until they are close to the same size as the salt. Once you’ve gotten to the desired texture add a few dashes of onion powder (optional) and stir.
Store in an air-tight container with the rest of your spices and use anywhere you want something more than just salt. Eggs, veggie dishes, fish, soups, salads, and even rim your drinks! I made a traditional dirty martini on the rocks with a celery salt rim!
Cheers!
