Creamed Celery (with corn)
Celery seems to be an oft-overlooked vege. Sure, it’s a mainstay in salads, and you can’t beat it stuffed with peanut butter (I’ll pass on the raisins though), and I even use it in my fresh chili. But what about as the main part of a side dish?
I had some extra celery burning a hole in my fridge and decided to try something… anything with it. And this is what I came up with.
What you need…
3 stalks celery, washed, dried and sliced thin - about 2 cups
1 small red onion (smaller than a tennis ball), chopped small - about 1 cup
1-1/2 cups frozen corn
2 tablespoons butter
1-2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup milk (try half and half or even heavy whipping cream for an extra creamy taste)
nutmeg (optional)
Heat up a large skillet over medium heat and melt 1 tablespoon of the butter. Add the celery and sautee for about 5 minutes, then add the onion.
While you start the celery, put the frozen corn in a strainer and run it under cold water for a minute or so. You just want to wash off any frost that might have formed on it and start it thawing out. Let sit in the strainer to drain. About 3 minutes or so after you’ve added the onion, the celery should start getting a bright green and the onions just start turning transluscent - add the corn and the other tablespoon of butter to the skillet and stir occassionally while sauteeing for another 3-4 minutes. Add the choped garlic, stir it up a bit and then measure out your milk.
Pour the milk in the skillet and reduce the heat to low. Stir things up a bit and add a couple shakes of nutmeg if you’d like. Let this simmer on low about 5-6 minutes, stirring occassionally as the milk reduces. This is not going to be anything like the creamed corn you get in a can. Let the milk reduce until it almost becomes basically just a sort of creamy glaze.
Pull off the heat, add a bit of salt and pepper to taste and dish it up! Maybe sprinkle with a bit of paprika for color when serving.
This should give you four decent servings, and the celery should still have a bit of a crunch too it, not be all soggy. And play with some of the ingredients. I probably added a bit more garlic, and I used red onion because that’s what I had. Try sweet yellow onion, or even a white onion to add a bit more oomph to the flavor. And if you’re tired of corn… maybe try it with peas? hmmm… I still have some celery left.
Tags: butter, celery, corn, cream, garlic, milk, nutmeg, onion, peas