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#104657 06/03/03 05:12 PM
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My father used to buy celery in a grocery store owned by a Greek. I don't know where the celery was raised, but the stalks were almost two feet long, which included the root.
That celery had been lovingly tended, the soil and mulch having been heaped up to support and blanch the stalks. You just can't buy celery like that these days. If the stalk is green, the celery is going to be bitter. And today there is no root included, which used to be the best part, except t;hat they nailed the roots together, and my father told me to cut away the nail holes, because the harvesters held t;he nails in their mouths before using them. The rest of you self-proclained gourmets have never had any good celery.


#104658 06/03/03 08:26 PM
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my Mom used to let me smell the vanilla when she was baking cookies(I suppose she still would!), and I like my celery with peanut butter, or chopped up and put in tuna for sandwiches...



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#104659 06/03/03 08:59 PM
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Dear etaoin: I can't find any documentation, but I suspect very strongly that cooking drives out any of the additional flavoring agents in natural vanilla, so that the extra money is wasted.
And in Chinese food, I think celery is a very welcome addition.
I still doubt very much that any of you soi-disant gourmets have ever seen blanched celery (no chlorophyll in the stalks because of the hilling up to shield stalks from sunlight). I did see some celery roots (not on the stalks)
in a supermarket in VA maybe eight years ago, but no blanched celery.It's apparently the chlorophyll that gives celery the bitter taste.


#104660 06/03/03 09:00 PM
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Þ

I dislike celery and artificial vanilla. I can taste whether something has been made with real vanilla or the fake-o.


#104661 06/04/03 03:55 AM
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I like celery, especially in salads, or by itself with salt to dip it in.

Don't know if I've ever had real vanilla. Depends what's in the ice-creams.

Bingley


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#104662 06/04/03 05:52 AM
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It's apparently the chlorophyll that gives celery the bitter taste.

Maybe that's why it stops tasting so vile when it gets overcooked.


#104663 06/04/03 02:17 PM
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Wow, I didn't know celery produced such strong reactions in people who don't like it! It's one of those vegetables I take for granted as part of soups, stews, and so on - never gave it a second thought! It's also a crucial part of the flavour of caponata, which is a lovely Italian sweet-sour concoction of eggplant, celery, capers, tomatoes, and olives. Mmm.

As for my Dad, I have childhood memories of him sitting down with a whole head of celery and eating it all, raw, after peeling the most annoying stringy things off each piece. Perhaps there was olive oil involved. (There certainly was with artichokes. Mmm.)


#104664 06/04/03 03:53 PM
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and a favorite fancy first course i used to serve, was poached celery roese. you take a head, tie four (or more) stings around the head. slice between the strings. lift the slices carefully(so the stay intact) poach gently, serve on holandaise sause, garnished with pimento.. (remove the string after plating!) you have lovely pale green roses.... what was nice was you could cook them up before hand, gently resteam, and make the holidaise sause at the last minute..and to be honest, straw would taste good served with holandaise sause!

i would often have one or two fancy dishes at the start of thanksgiving/christmas dinners.. the rest of menu was tradistional.. but every one would remember the first course!

whoops, i am really turning this into a food thread aren't i? when i introduced vanilla, and its etymology, i thought it would end up being a sexy thread..


#104665 06/04/03 04:13 PM
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Dear of troy: Why was Eve the first carpenter? Because she made Adam's banana stand.
You mentioned pimientos, most commonly seen filling cavity in green olives which have had pit removed.(Seems contradictory that removing a pit leaves a pit to be filled.) Anyhow, I remember Fred Allen saying Portland had given him a solid gold pimiento paddle - essential to sophisticated hosts to restore any pimiento herniated from its olive to its proper position.


#104666 06/04/03 08:56 PM
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pimento are just roast peppers (spear "bell" (sweet)pepper, roast over open flame (gas burner on stove will do) till black, place in a enclosed space (brown paper bag) to lightly steam, peal off skin.) that have been very lightly pickled-- your classic pickled peppers..

they are common enough in NY- $0.25 extra at blimpies to have some on your sandwich.. never understood why they got packed into pitted olives,tho..


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