Celery Toasts Recipes

CELERY TOASTS

Steps:

• Toast the bread to golden. Butter generously, "wall to wall." Lay cheese slices on top of buttered toast, neatly, evenly.
• In a small bowl, stir together the celery and the scallions. Microplane the garlic into the celery mixture.
• Dress with olive oil, lemon juice and salt, and stir very well, until completely dressed, almost wet with dressing.
• Mound the shaved celery salad evenly on top of the blue-cheese toasts, and grind black pepper over them very generously. Cut each in half or quarters.

CLAMS WITH CELERY AND TOASTED GARLIC

Steps:

• Preferably using a natural bristle kitchen scrubber (a brand new kitchen sponge will work as well), scrub the clams well under running water. After the clams have been scrubbed and scrubbed again, let them hang out in a large bowl of cold water. This will allow any residual sediment or grit to free itself from the shells and settle at the bottom of the bowl while you do everything else.
• Heat oil, butter and chorizo or other pork product, if using, in a large pot (make sure it has a lid) over medium heat. Cook, swirling the pot occasionally until the butter has started to brown a little and the fat has begun to render from the pork, 3 to 4 minutes. (The pork won't be crispy, but that's O.K.; you're not looking for that.)
• Add the garlic and cook, stirring a minute or two until it begins to take on a toasty, light golden-brown color. Add wine and cook, letting it simmer until it's a little more than halfway reduced, 2 to 3 minutes. Add celery and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally until the celery is bright green and just tender, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add clams and shake the pot so they settle nicely. Place the lid on the pot and give it the occasional shake, letting them steam open and release their juices, 3 to 5 minutes. (Larger clams will take longer.) The shaking of the pot is not only fun to do, but it gives all the clams quality time with the hottest part of the pot, which will encourage them to open around the same time, although there's always one or two clams late to the party. If there's one that just never makes it to the party (as in, it never opens), it's dead and should be thrown away.
• Toss the parsley, chives and celery leaves in a small bowl, then add lemon or lime zest and juice, and season with salt and pepper. Serve the clams with a hunk of crusty fresh bread or thick slices of toast that have been drizzled with lots of olive oil and rubbed with a cut clove of garlic, scattering the parsley mixture over everything.

CREAM OF CELERY SOUP AND DEVILED-HAM TOASTS

Steps:

• For the poached chicken stock: Place the chicken, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, lemon, herb bundle, peppercorns and salt in a pot, cover with water and bring to a low boil. Reduce heat to simmer and simmer for 1 hour minimum. Cool the chicken in the broth. Remove the chicken and cool. Separate the meat and pull or chop into bite-size pieces. Reserve for another use. The chicken can be stored in plastic bag in the fridge for 4 days. Strain the stock and reserve for soup.
• For the soup: Heat a soup pot over medium heat. Melt the butter and when it begins to foam, add the celery, onions and garlic; season with celery salt and pepper. Add the fresh bay leaf to the pot, partially cover, and cook until very tender and soft, about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add the potatoes, celeriac and stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a low rolling boil and simmer, partially covered, for another 20 minutes, then puree with an immersion blender. Cool the soup and store for a make-ahead meal.
• Place the soup in a stockpot and stir in the cream. Bring to simmer and taste to adjust seasoning. Serve in shallow bowls with Deviled-Ham Toasts alongside.
• Combine the prosciutto, celery, Fresno chile pepper, red onion, parsley, garlic, mustard, pickle relish, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce and seasoning in a food processor and pulse until it's very, very finely chopped and well combined, almost smooth. Deviled ham stores well in the fridge for 4 to 5 days. Spread deviled ham on the toast and cut into toast points, corner to corner, or serve with saltines.

CELERY BISQUE WITH STILTON TOASTS

Steps:

• Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add celery and leeks. Sauté until celery is slightly softened, about 4 minutes. Add potatoes and 4 cups broth. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, uncovered, until all vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes. Working in batches, puree soup in blender until smooth. Return to same pot. Whisk in 1/3 cup crème fraîche and cayenne pepper. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Cool, then cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over medium heat before serving, adding more broth to thin if desired.)
• Ladle soup into bowls. Swirl 1 to 2 teaspoons additional crème fraîche into each. Sprinkle with parsley, if desired. Serve with Stilton Toasts.

HEALTHY CELERY GARLIC TOASTS

Steps:

• 1. Grind Celery and cloves to make a fine paste. Add salt to your taste.
• 2. Apply this paste to all 4 slices equally.
• 3. Preheat oven at 360 F and cook the bread for 10 to 12 minutes, till the get slightly brown.
• 4. Cut the slices on angle to make two triangle slices. Your Healthy Garlic Toast are ready.
• Serve Hot.

CELERY, HAM AND CHEESE TOASTS

Steps:

• Position a rack 6 inches from the broiler and preheat to high. Toast the bread to a light golden-brown. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil.
• In a bowl, combine the mayonnaise, cheese and ham; season with pepper.
• Trim off the tops and bottoms of 8 outer stalks of celery. Peel the stalks. Cut the stalks crosswise into 3 equal pieces (just about the length of the bread). Halve each piece lengthwise, if necessary, so each celery piece is about 1/2-inch wide. Tear a few of the light green leaves from the heart and reserve. Add the celery pieces to the boiling water and cook until just tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain and pat dry.
• Put the toasts on a baking sheet. Divide the celery among the toasts. Dollop the mayonnaise mixture on top and spread gently to cover most of the celery (the sandwiches look pretty with a bit of green showing at the edges). Broil until the cheese is brown and bubbly, about 2 minutes. Transfer the toasts to plates, garnish with the reserved celery leaves and serve.

CELERY BISQUE WITH STILTON TOASTS

Steps:

• Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add celery and leeks. Sauté until celery is slightly softened, about 4 minutes. Add potatoes and 4 cups broth. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, uncovered, until all vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes. Working in batches, puree soup in blender until smooth. Return to same pot. Whisk in 1/3 cup crème fraîche and cayenne pepper. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Cool, then cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over medium heat before serving, adding more broth to thin if desired.).
• Ladle soup into bowls. Swirl 1 to 2 teaspoons additional crème fraîche into each. Sprinkle with parsley, if desired. Serve with Stilton Toasts.
• To make toasts: Using back of fork, mash cheese and crème fraîche in small bowl to blend.
• Preheat oven to 350°F Arrange baguette slices on rimmed baking sheet. Brush both sides with oil. Bake until just crisp, turning once, about 10 minutes. Spread cheese mixture on toasts. Bake until cheese mixture melts, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle toasts with parsley.

TOASTED PARTY MIX

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C).
• In a large roasting pan, melt margarine. Mix in seasoning salt, Worcestershire sauce, celery salt, and garlic salt.
• Stir crispy rice, corn, wheat and oat cereals, pretzels and nuts into the butter mixture and coat well.
• Bake uncovered in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.