So you've got nothing for a salad: Apples and Celery Salad (in a pinch)

I guess I've been on this anti-lettuce kick for a while. Okay, not an anti-lettuce kick as such, but a resistance to the idea that every salad has to begin with lettuce and tomato (especially if tomatoes are out of season and the lettuce is all wilted at the store). Often the salad urge comes without the kinds of ingredients you automatically associate with salad. Well, I think you can make a delightful salad with probably anything you have around the house.

Case in point: Desperate for something cool, succulent, and refreshing today, I realized that I had almost nothing around but celery and some SwiftlyWiltingApples. No promblem! One of my favorites. Since living in Japan, where one obasan used to make sandwiches with a fabulous mix of veggies AND apple, I have come to regard the fruit as a perfect alternative for "sweet vegetables" (like tomato, red pepper, carrot, and even onion). Also, I've recently become a serious celery afficionado (or is that "afficionada"?). I'm particularly partial to the inner stalks of palest green and their attached leaves that run in color from green to yellow. I used to reserve celery leaves for making stock, but then I realized how much interesting flavor they could add to a chopped salad. Just the other week I also discovered that the celery leaves are high in potassium. I've also stopped neglecting the tougher "heart" of the celery near the base. Like the hearts of lettuce, it can be strong, sharp, rooty, and even nicely bitter. I usually cut the heart/core lengthwise (in half or in quarters, depending on the size) and slice in thin slivers to distribute through the salad. (An equally good technique for celery and for lettuce hearts.) Sliced thin, they do not overpower any single bite but lend their sharp and earthy goodness to the whole salad.

Oh, and did I mention this salad is Super Cheap?

Recipe:

- 1 inner stalk and core of celery, with leaves (stalks sliced into small bite-sized pieces along with attached leaves, core sliced thin)
- 2 apples (don't bother peeling, just chop into small bite sized pieces.

- 2 Tbs. rice vinegar (or whatever you have handy; I just like rice vinegar)
- 2 Tbs. olive oil
- 1-2 tsp. mustard
- 1-2 tsp. honey
- 1 tsp. tarragon (rubbed between palms to crush) (if you don't have tarragon, any "high taste" herb like marjoram, basil, or basil would be nice, too, I'm sure)
- big pinch o' salt

- handful finely chopped walnuts (optional, but I really like them)

Toss celery and apple in bowl. Whisk together dressing ingredients, taste and adjust as necessary. (The trick to tasting a vinegarette is to get all parts of your palate--sweet, sour, salty, and savory--firing more or less equally.) Toss the dressing over celery and apples (making especially sure to coat the apples so the vinegar can prevent them browning). Toss walnuts in last.

A good lunch when you want something light. Also nice on the side of something savory like a roast. This is a good fall-back salad for all four seasons.