Celery stem: useful properties, calories, cooking recipes

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Celery is a plant of the umbrella family, which in ordinary life an ignorant person will not even pay attention to. Outwardly unattractive, according to experts, it is considered a real pantry of he alth. Moreover, unlike other crops, almost everything is useful in it: root, stem, leaves and even seeds. Components valuable to humans are evenly distributed among all its constituent parts. Stem celery deserves special attention. It is also called petiole. In the culinary field, this vegetable is perhaps the most popular garden green in the world.

Growing a vegetable

Celery stem 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 very common. But in Europe, this most 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. You just need to stock up on seeds in advance. Moreover, experts say that their germination rate only increases over the years. 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 fastidious, and it is rather troublesome to maintain it. Moderate timely watering and constant weeding are necessary for the capricious culture to develop properly. 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:

1. Malachite. This is the stem celery with the shortest growing season. Literally 80 days after the appearance of the sprouts, juicy petioles are ready for use.
2. Gold. This variety matures within 5 months. Its distinctive feature is that the stems have practically no voids inside.
3. Pascal. Dark green petioles about 22 centimeters high appear after 100 days.
4. Triumph. After 130 days, the petioles of a pleasant emerald color can be used for food.
5. Tango is a high yield variety. True, for thisit takes about half a year. But by the time of ripening, tender and very fragrant stems acquire an original bluish-green hue.

Any of these varieties, with proper care, will surely please the hostess with a good harvest.

Use in cooking

All parts of this vegetable can be used for cooking. Nevertheless, recipes with stem celery are of the greatest interest for home use. Juicy and meaty petioles are often fried, baked, stuffed or used to make various salads. Their spicy s alty taste with a slight bitterness goes well with fish, meat or other vegetables. In addition, it is from the fleshy stems that juice is squeezed out, which is very he althy. There are recipes with stem celery that do not require special skills. For example, consider the simplest chicken salad. To work, you will need the following set of products:

- for 450 grams of boiled breast 1 stalk of celery, a little s alt, 125 grams of sour cream, 1 grapefruit, 50 grams of peanuts, a teaspoon of lemon zest and black pepper.

Salad preparation method:

1. Cut the breast and pulp of grapefruit into cubes. From the citrus, you must first remove the seeds and peel its slices from the films.
2. Celery thinly sliced.
3. Mix the products in a deep bowl.
4. Prepare the sauce. To do this, add zest, s alt, a little pepper to the sour cream and beat it all well.
5. Sprinkle the food mixture with fresh sauce.
6. Foradditional flavor add roasted crushed peanuts.

This salad looks very impressive and can decorate any table.

Appetizing soup

It's very easy to make celery stem soup. The 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 white cabbage, onion, 1 bell pepper and 15-20 grams of vegetable oil.

Preparing the soup is very simple:

1. First, fresh celery stalks need to be chopped across, and then pour them into a pot of boiling water and leave to cook over low heat.
2. At this time, you need to cut the onion into cubes, chop the carrots on a grater, and then sauté them in oil.
3. Chop the cabbage and add it to the celery.
4. Peel the skin off the tomatoes. To do this, they must first be doused with boiling water. Cut the remaining pulp into cubes and send to the pan.
5. Chop the pepper, after cleaning it from the seeds. Those who do not like this vegetable can simply dip its halves into boiling soup for 10 minutes, and then remove them and discard them.
6. Put the fry and a little s alt. The food should boil together a little.
7. Remove the pot from heat and let the dish rest for at least 20 minutes.

After that, the celery stem soup can be poured into bowls and served.

Meals for weight loss

Due to its low calorie content, celery is absolutely safe for overweight people. They can eat it without restrictions. 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 a salad that uses the following ingredients:

- 1 boiled egg, 1 boiled carrot and 1 fresh celery stalk, plus yogurt, s alt and black pepper.

The cooking technique for this dish is simple:

1. First, all products must be chopped. You can do this arbitrarily. You can simply chop the eggs, and cut the vegetables into cubes or strips. The type of mixture in this case does not matter.
2. The resulting mass should be slightly s alted, and then seasoned with yogurt (low-fat). For flavor, you can add a little pepper.

In general, stem celery dishes are a real find for nutritionists. With their help, you can perfectly satisfy your hunger without adding extra pounds.

Preparatory stage

Before you get to work, all products, as a rule, must be prepared in a special way. Celery in this case is no exception. If young petioles are used for cooking, then this step can be omitted. In the case of large shoots, the situation is different. Therefore, you need to know in advance how to clean the stem celery. In an adult plant, a very thick rough film usually forms on the surface. If ado not remove it, the cooked dish will turn out tough and tasteless.

In such a situation, you should do the following:

1. First, you need to remove the lower part of the stems by cutting it off with a knife.
2. Rinse petioles thoroughly under running water. They should be bright green. If there are yellow shoots among them, then it is better to throw them away.
3. Carefully cut off the tough film along the entire length of the stem. This is easy to do with a paring knife.

The product prepared in this way can be safely used further for its intended purpose. The hostess must not only know how to peel the stem celery, but also understand why this is done. Then every dish prepared from this plant will be tasty and he althy for her.

Energy value

Low calorie 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 digests this substance completely 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 “rainy day reserve”. In addition, fiber is actively involved in bowel cleansing. It not only forms fecal masses, but also contributes to their rapid outward movement. Therefore, in large quantities, celery acts as a laxative. In principle, this is even good. Waste products do not stagnate, but are quickly excreted from the body. It creates a feelinglightness and noticeably improves mood, which is especially important for overweight people 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 s alty taste. The low calorie content of stem celery allows you to add it to a variety of dishes. Moreover, s alt in this case can not even be used. It will be replaced by celery without sacrificing taste.

Benefits and harms

Today, many people try to use stalked celery for cooking. But experts advise doing it very carefully. Before starting 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, it is worth noting:

1. Beneficial effect on the genitourinary system and kidney activity due to the presence of sodium.
2. The stems of this culture consist of coarse fibers that normalize the process of digestion and intestinal motility. In addition, they help to remove toxins and lower blood cholesterol levels.
3. The presence of vitamin C and potassium in the composition improves the condition of blood vessels and blood circulation.
4. Essential oils contained in the pulp have an antiseptic effect and increase the production of gastric juice.
5. Regular consumption of celery increases efficiency and strengthens the immune system.
6. The plant containsantioxidants that prevent the aging of the body.

But celery itself isn't that safe:

1. The essential oils it contains may cause an allergic reaction.
2. The diuretic properties of the plant are dangerous for those who have kidney stones, as they can provoke their movement.
3. People suffering from varicose veins or thrombophlebitis, it is better to refrain from eating dishes with celery.
4. Pregnant women are also not advised by doctors to get involved in this product.

But in limited quantities, celery is not capable of causing harm.

Heat treatment

Separately, you should 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 bake fish very tasty. It will take quite a bit of time. To work you will need:

- 3 carcasses of mackerel, s alt, 3 cloves of garlic, 17 grams of vegetable oil, 1 bunch of celery and basil and a little black pepper.

This dish is prepared quickly and easily:

1. First, gut the fish and rinse well.
2. On the sides with a sharp knife, make small cuts and insert basil leaves into them. If smaller portions are required, then the carcass can simply be cut into pieces.
3. Coarsely chop the peeled and washed celery stalks. The length of each piece should be no more than 3 centimeters.
4. Peeled garlic just crushwith the flat side of the knife.
5. Line a baking sheet with foil.
6. Spread celery on it. He will play the role of a "pillow". Put garlic next to it.
7. Place fish on top and drizzle with oil.
8. Roll up the foil and seal the edges tightly.
9. Send the baking sheet to the oven for 20 minutes. Bake at 220 degrees.

Delicate, fragrant and very tasty fish will be a great dinner or a great addition to lunch.