Celery stalk: useful properties, caloric content, cooking recipes

Celery is a plant of the umbrella family, which in ordinary life an ignorant person does not even notice. Externally unattractive, he, according to experts, is considered a real pantry of health. And, unlike other cultures, practically everything is useful in it: root, stem, leaves and even seeds. Valuable to human components are evenly distributed across all of its constituent parts. Special attention deserves celery stalk. It is also called petiolate. In the field of cooking, this vegetable in the whole world is, perhaps, the most popular vegetable greens.

Vegetable growing

Celery stem is a plant that prefers moist, well-fertilized soil, it is resistant to low temperatures, although its home is considered a warm Mediterranean. In Russia it is not widely distributed. But in Europe, this most valuable culture enjoys well-deserved respect.

Initially it was used only for medicinal purposes. And only relatively recently celery stalk began to be used in cooking. Grow it on a bed is quite possible. It is necessary only to stock up with seeds in advance. And experts say that their germination with the years only increases. Within three weeks they will germinate. This requires a warm and well-ventilated room, as well as regular watering. Then the seedlings need to be placed in the 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 keep it. A moderate timely watering and constant weeding are necessary in order for the capricious culture to develop properly. Only in this case you can get juicy, elastic and fleshy stems.

Main grades

In Russia, celery began to grow relatively recently. Perhaps, therefore, the choice of varieties is relatively small. Among them the most famous are:

1. Malachite. This celery is cauliflower with the shortest vegetation period. Literally 80 days after the appearance of sprouts juicy petioles are ready for use.
2. Gold. This variety ripens within 5 months. Its distinctive feature is that the stems have virtually no voids inside.
3. Pascal. Dark green petioles of about 22 centimeters in height appear after 100 days.
4. Triumph. After 130 days, petioles of pleasant emerald color can be used for food.
5. Tango is a variety with increased yield. True, this takes about six months. But at the time of maturation, tender and very fragrant stems acquire an original bluish-green hue.

Any of these varieties, with proper care, will certainly please the landlady with a good harvest.

Application in Cooking

For cooking, you can use all parts of this vegetable. Nevertheless, recipes with celery stalk are of greatest interest for home use. Juicy and fleshy petioles are often fried, baked, stuffed or used to prepare various salads. Their spicy salty taste with light bitter taste is perfectly combined with fish, meat or other vegetables. In addition, it is from the fleshy stems that juice is squeezed out, very healthy. There are recipes with celery stalk, which do not require special skills. For example, you can consider the simplest salad with chicken. To work, you need the following set of products:

- for 450 grams of boiled breast 1 cherechok celery, a little salt, 125 grams of sour cream, 1 grapefruit, 50 grams of peanuts, a teaspoon of lemon peel and black pepper.

Method of preparation of salad:

1. Breast and pulp of grapefruit cut into cubes. From citrus, it is first necessary to remove the bones and cleanse its lobules from the films.
2. Celery is thinly sliced.
3. The products are mixed in deep dishes.
4. Prepare the sauce. To do this, add sour cream, salt, a little pepper to sour cream and beat it all up well.
5. Mix the mixture of products with fresh sauce.
6. For added flavor, add roasted ground peanuts.

This salad looks very impressive and can become an ornament of any table.

Appetizing soup

It is very easy to prepare soup from celery stalk. An uncomplicated process takes quite a bit of time. In addition, the cooking will need the simplest products:

- 3 liters of water, 500 grams of stalks of celery, 1 carrot, 2 tomatoes, 550 grams of white cabbage, onion, 1 pod of bell pepper and 15-20 grams of vegetable oil.

Preparing the soup is very simple:

1. First, fresh stalks of celery should be crumbled across, and then pour them into a pot of boiling water and leave to cook on a small fire.
2. At this time, cut the onions into cubes, grate the carrots, and then save them in oil.
3. Shred cabbage and add it to celery.
4. With tomatoes, peel off. To do this, they must first be burned with boiling water. The remaining pulp is cut into cubes and sent to a saucepan.
5. Grind the pepper, after cleaning it from the seeds. Those who do not like this vegetable, can simply lower its halves for 10 minutes in boiling soup, and then extract them and discard them.
6. Put the roast and sprinkle a little. Products should be left together a little.
7. Remove the saucepan from the heat and let the dish to stand for at least 20 minutes.

After that, soup from celery stalk can be poured on plates and served to the table.

Slimming dishes

Due to the low calorie content of celery is absolutely safe for people with excess weight. They can consume it without restriction. And given the fact that it fits perfectly with almost all products, dishes from celery stalk are often advised to cook during the dieting period. For example, there is a very interesting salad version, in which the following components are used:

- 1 boiled egg, 1 boiled carrot and 1 fresh celery stalk, as well as yoghurt, salt and black pepper.

The technology of cooking this dish is simple:

1. First, all the products must be crushed. You can do this arbitrarily. Eggs can be simply crumbled, and vegetables cut into cubes or straws. The type of mixture in this case does not matter.
2. The resulting mass should be slightly salted, and then season with yoghurt (low-fat). For flavor, you can add a little pepper.

In general, dishes from celery stalk - this is a real godsend for dieticians. With their help, you can perfectly satisfy your hunger without adding extra pounds.

Preparatory stage

Before starting to 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, one must know in advance how to clean the celery with a cauliflower. In an adult plant, a very thick coarse film is usually formed on the surface. If you do not remove it, the cooked dish will turn out to be tough and not tasty.

In this situation, you should proceed as follows:

1. First you need to remove the bottom of the stems, cutting it with a knife.
2. Clean the petioles thoroughly under running water. They should be bright green. If yellow shoots are found among them, then it is better to discard them.
3. Carefully cut the rigid film along the entire length of the stem. This is easy to do with a knife for vegetables.

Prepared in this way, the product can be safely used further for the intended purpose. The hostess should not only know how to clean the celery stalk, but also understand why this is done. Then every dish made from this plant, it will turn out tasty and useful.

Energy value

Low caloric content of celery stalk is its distinctive feature. Scientists have found an explanation for this fact. The fact is that juicy petioles contain a lot of fiber. As you know, this substance is digested by the human body completely and does not utilize it. That is, eating stems, you can be sure that they will not "settle" in the subcutaneous tissues in the form of "stock for a rainy day." In addition, fiber is actively involved in cleaning the intestines. It not only forms fecal masses, but also promotes their fastest advance to the outside. Therefore, in large quantities, celery acts as a laxative. In principle, it's even good. Waste products do not stagnate, but are quickly eliminated from the body. This creates a feeling of lightness and significantly improves the mood that for people with excess weight during the diet period is especially important.

As you know, in 100 grams of celery contains only 13 kilocalories. In addition, it is a very fragrant product with a slightly brackish taste. Low calorie celery stalk can add it to a variety of dishes. And the salt in this case can not even be used. It will be replaced by celery without compromising taste.

Benefit and harm

Today, many try to use petioled celery for cooking. But experts advise doing this very carefully. Before you start to work, you need to know all the positive and negative properties of celery stalk. Only then can you be sure that cooked food will benefit the body.

Among the positive qualities of this plant 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, which normalize the process of digestion and peristalsis of the intestine. In addition, they help to remove toxins and lower the level of cholesterol in the blood.
3. The presence of vitamin C and potassium in the composition improves the condition of blood vessels and blood circulation.
4. Essential oils that are contained in the pulp, have an antiseptic effect and increase the production of gastric juice.
5. Regular use of celery increases efficiency and strengthens immunity.
6. The plant contains antioxidants that prevent aging of the body.

But the celery itself is not so safe:

1. The essential oils contained in it can cause an allergic reaction.
2. Diuretic properties of plants are dangerous for those who have kidney stones, since 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 doctors are also not advised to get carried away with this product.

But in limited quantities, celery is not capable of harming.

Heat treatment

Separately, it is worth paying attention to the second dishes with celery stalk. To maintain the useful properties of this product, the temperature treatment must be carried out very carefully. For example, you can very tasty bake fish. It will take very little time. For work you will need:

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

Preparing this dish quickly and simply:

1. First, the fish must be gutted and thoroughly rinsed.
2. On the sides with a sharp knife, make small incisions and insert in them the leaves of the basil. If smaller portions are required, the carcass can simply be cut into pieces.
3. Peeled and washed stalks of celery. The length of each piece should not be more than 3 centimeters.
4. Peel the garlic with a flat knife.
5. Cover the foil with a foil.
6. Distribute celery on it. He will play the role of "pillow". Next place the garlic.
7. Top with fish and sprinkle it with oil.
8. Tighten the foil and tighten the edges tightly.
9. Put the baking tray in the oven for 20 minutes. Bake at 220 degrees.

A delicate, fragrant and very tasty fish will be an excellent dinner or a great addition to dinner.