By Request

Betty Shimabukuro

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Celery seed dressing
is light, versatile

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Celery seed is not one of your glory ingredients. For that matter, neither is celery itself. You never hear about celery seed-crusted ahi or celery-infused risotto.

So when Mie Michimoto asked for a celery seed salad dressing, her request provided something new to chew on. Michimoto was looking specifically for "the famous Celery Seed Dressing from Kapiolani Community College," a recipe she'd had for 20 years, then lost.

That's a long time, but one of the staffers at KCC came up with a copy. It is credited to former chef-instructor Walter Scheiss.

Celery the seed and celery the vegetable are grown from a domesticated wild plant once called "smallage." The tiny brown seeds carry the scent of celery and have a strong, sometimes bitter taste.

Traditionally, celery seed has been used for pickling and for baking bread and crackers. The seed is also ground into celery salts and peppers. Celery salt is a crucial component in the classic Bloody Mary, which, of course, is necessarily garnished with a celery stalk.

If you have seeds left after making this dressing, try stirring some into creamy soups, dips or dressings. You can also sprinkle them over grilled vegetables, egg or fish dishes. But go easy; it's strong stuff.

This recipe is fairly typical of a number of celery-seed vinaigrettes in its use of a heavy dose of sugar and a touch of dry mustard. The paprika in the KCC version is a bit of a twist, but the significant difference is in the use of lemon juice instead of vinegar.

I whisked up a half-potion, and it was a nice, sweet-tart accompaniment to mixed greens. I'd also consider it as a dressing for a bean salad and possibly fruit. The celery flavor was a mild undercurrent that went unnoticed by my celery-hating family.

Celery Seed Dressing

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 teaspoons EACH celery seed, salt, dry mustard and paprika
3/4 cup vegetable oil

Combine all ingredients except oil in a bowl and mix. Gradually whisk in oil until thick. Makes 3 cups.

Approximate nutritional analysis, per 2 tablespoon serving : 100 calories, 7 g total fat, 0.5 g saturated fat, no cholesterol, 180 mg sodium, 9 g carbohydrate, no protein.

Food Stuffs: Morsels

Send queries along with name and phone number to:
"By Request," Honolulu Star-Bulletin,
500 Ala Moana, No. 7-210, Honolulu 96813.
Or send e-mail to bshimabukuro@starbulletin.com

Asterisk (*) after nutritional analyses in the Body & Soul section indicates calculations by Joannie Dobbs of Exploring New Concepts, a nutritional consulting firm.