Celery, Date and Walnut Salad

 All hail the humble celery -- so underappreciated and used mostly in soups, or tuna salad (at least by me). In this recipe, however, it gets top billing. I'd been seeing similar salads all over Instagram, including one from my friend Stacey who adds apples to the mix. When I saw Philly Food Girl make it on her Instagram page and declare it was one of the top five salads she'd ever eaten, I knew I had to give it a try. It certainly did not disappoint.

For all you sitting on the fence thinking "It's celery, it can't be that good," think again. When combined with the sweetness of dates, the crunchiness of toasted walnuts and the salty umami of parmesan cheese, you get a melding of flavors that will keep you going back for more. 

The original recipe comes from The Four Horsemen, a restaurant in Brooklyn, N.Y., and has been adapted in many permutations by many people, including me. Their recipe uses Piave Vecchio cheese, but I used Parmesan, a similar hard, aged cow's milk cheese. I skipped the mint leaves the first time I made it since I didn't have them on hand. It was delicious, but if you've got mint leaves, they'll add another level of freshness and flavor.

Make it your own by adding more of any particular ingredient you're partial to. Me, I'm always going to wind up with more parmesan cheese. If you don't like walnuts, use pecans or almonds. But don't mess with the dates. They're a crucial part of what makes this so delicious. It's good leftover the next day too -- if you have any leftover, that is. Perfect to take to a dinner party or picnic too. 

Click here to connect with me on Instagram and find out what’s cooking in Ciao Chow Linda’s kitchen each day (and more)

Celery, Date and Walnut Salad

Adapted from The Four Horsemen

8 stalks celery, sliced with a mandoline, at an angle

1 shallot, finely minced

10 or 12 pitted dates (depending on size), sliced

freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon (or more, to taste if the lemon is small)

3 tablespoons olive oil

sea salt, to taste

fresh mint leaves, scattered in

1/2 cup walnuts, toasted in the oven and chopped

1/2 cup freshly shaved shards of parmesan cheese or more if you like 

In a medium bowl, combine the minced shallot, dates, salt, lemon juice and olive oil. 

Slice the celery at an angle using a mandoline. Add to the bowl along with the toasted walnuts and parmesan cheese and mint and toss everything together, but first save a bit of the parmesan cheese shards to sprinkle on top.  Taste for seasonings, and adjust if necessary, then scatter the remaining parmesan cheese on top.

Caramelized Onion Potato Tart

 

This is one of those recipes with a few humble ingredients that combined together, form an intense blast of flavor that you'll find hard to resist. How can you go wrong when caramelized onions meet potatoes and gruyere cheese? Place those on top of puff pastry and you've got a winner - whether you serve it as an appetizer (watch it disappear in a flash) or as the main part of your meal.

The hardest part of this recipe is caramelizing the onions. Actually, it's not hard. It's just time-consuming. It takes about 1/2 hour of slow cooking to achieve this golden goodness. Your house will smell divine. I always posit that realtors would be advised to tell house sellers to forget baking cookies when prospective buyers are expected - cook some onions instead. 

Use store-purchased puff pastry and you'll be done in a flash. Smear the mixture of heavy cream, seasonings and some of the gruyere cheese over the pastry.

Arrange slices of the cooked potatoes on top of the mixture.

The caramelized onions come next.

Then the gruyere and parmesan cheeses.

Bake it for 25-30 minutes and dig in. The recipe makes enough for 16 appetizer-size slices.

Or for four-five servings as a main course. A salad on the side helps complete the meal and cuts down on the richness of the tart. 

Click here to connect with me on Instagram and find out what’s cooking in Ciao Chow Linda’s kitchen each day (and more)

Caramelized Onion Potato Tart

Adapted from Food And Wine magazine

Ingredients:

• 1 pound medium-size (about 4 ounces each) Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1/8-inch slices (I used about a dozen small potatoes since that's all I had on hand, and they worked fine.)

• 2 tablespoons, plus 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced

• 2 tablespoons water

• 1 frozen puff pastry sheet (from 1 [17.3-ounce] package), thawed

• All-purpose flour

• 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

• 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, plus more for garnish

• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

• 6 ounces Gruyère cheese, shredded (about 1 1/2 cups), divided

• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

• Black pepper

• Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in lower third position. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Place potatoes and 2 tablespoons of the salt in a large saucepan; add water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a boil over high; reduce heat to medium, and cook, undisturbed, until potatoes can be pierced using tip of a knife but are still firm, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain well; let stand until cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes.

2. Return saucepan to medium heat; add oil, and heat until shimmering. Stir in onion and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion begins to soften and brown around edges, about 18 minutes. Uncover and increase heat to medium-high; stir in  water, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of saucepan. Cook 2 minutes, stirring often, until onion is browned and caramelized. Let stand until cool, about 5 minutes.
   

3. Roll puff pastry on a lightly floured work surface to a 14- x 12-inch rectangle. Transfer to prepared baking sheet. Bring up the edges all around the perimeter, about 1/2" to form a border. Prick pastry all over using a fork.

4. Stir together cream, thyme, Dijon mustard, nutmeg, and 1 cup of the Gruyère in a medium bowl until combined. Spread cheese mixture in an even layer inside scored border of pastry. Arrange potato slices in overlapping layers over cheese mixture inside border; top evenly with caramelized onions. Top with remaining 1/2 cup Gruyère and parmesan cheese.
   

5. Bake in preheated oven until pastry is puffed and deep golden brown, about 30 minutes. Transfer baking sheet to a wire rack, and let cool 5 minutes. Garnish with black pepper and additional thyme. Slice into 16 (3 1/4- x 3-inch) pieces; serve warm or at room temperature.