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Celery salad with vierge dressing

Name: Celery salad with vierge dressing recipe
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1/2 bunch celery; 100g toasted pine nuts; 200ml vierge dressing; 100g toasted coriander seeds; 2 toasted star anise; 1L extra virgin olive oil; 3 bunches basil, leaves picked; 1/2 bunch mint, leaves picked; 1/2 bunch flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked; Freshly squeezed lemon juice, to taste

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by Colin Fassnidge

Chef and My Kitchen Rules judge

Sep 01, 2020

“Celery may not be the cure-all touted by social media influencers, but it is certainly delicious. This humble veg adds incredible crunch and texture to dishes, but in this simple salad I’ve made it the star of its own show," says Colin Fassnidge. This is an edited extract from The Commonsense Cook by Colin Fassnidge, (Plum, $39.99). Photography by Alan Benson.

1/2 bunch celery
100g toasted pine nuts
200ml vierge dressing

Vierge dressing

100g toasted coriander seeds
2 toasted star anise
1L extra virgin olive oil
3 bunches basil, leaves picked
1/2 bunch mint, leaves picked
1/2 bunch flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked
Freshly squeezed lemon juice, to taste

Method

1.

To make the vierge dressing, place the coriander seeds, star anise, olive oil and herbs in a blender, and blend until smooth. Don’t overblend the ingredients as you want to avoid the heat of the blender warming the dressing. Transfer the dressing to a bowl and season to taste. Cover and set aside in the fridge for 24 hours for the flavours to infuse. Strain the dressing through a fine sieve and transfer to an air-tight bottle or jar. Before using, season to taste with salt and lemon juice.
2.

Slice each celery stalk into thirds lengthways, then finely slice across. Set aside the celery leaves.
3.

Place the sliced celery and pine nuts in a bowl and toss through the vierge dressing. Check the seasoning and adjust if necessary, then spoon the mixture onto a serving plate. Top with the reserved celery leaves to serve.