Marinated celery with couscous and pickled raisins

MARINATED CELERY WITH COUSCOUS AND PICKLED RAISINS

This is salad will please crowds and surprise celery dissenters. Marinating the celery tames the strong grassy notes, bringing out a savoury side and offering a tender and crisp bite. The pickled golden raisins are tart and fruity, bringing high and low acidic moments, delivering plump pops of tang with every mouthful. While feta is optional, it does bring a sharp saltiness that works beautifully with the other ingredients.

This recipe is excerpted from my book TENDERHEART (Plum Books 2022 and Knopf Cooks 2023)


Serves 4

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Ingredients

• 4 celery stalks (about 225 g), finely sliced (reserve any tender leaves)
• 1 garlic clove, grated
• 1/4 teaspoon red chilli flakes
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds or 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon white sugar|
• extra-virgin olive oil
• sea salt and black pepper
• 1 cup vegetable stock or water
• 1 cup couscous
• 100 g / 3.5 ounces feta, crumbled (optional)
• handful of soft herbs (dill, parsley, coriander, chives), torn
• 1/4 cup roasted almonds, chopped

Pickled golden raisins

• 70 g (1/2 cup) golden raisins
• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 red onion or 1 eschalot/shallot, sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon white sugar

1. In a small bowl, combine the celery, garlic, red chilli flakes, cumin, apple cider vinegar, sugar and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season with 1 teaspoon of sea salt and a few turns of black pepper. Toss to combine and leave to pickle for 30–60 minutes at room temperature or overnight in the fridge.

2. To make the pickled golden raisins, combine all the ingredients in a small bowl. Toss to combine and set aside to pickle for 30 minutes.

3. Place the vegetable stock or water, 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and add the couscous to the pan. Stir, then cover and stand for 5 minutes. Fluff the couscous with a fork and set aside.

4. In a large serving bowl, place the couscous, pickled celery and all the pickling liquid, the pickled golden raisins (strain off the the raisin pickling liquid but keep it in case the salad needs more acidity), feta (if using) and herbs and toss to combine. Drizzle with 2–3 tablespoons of olive oil, season with sea salt and black pepper and toss again. Taste and, if it needs more acid, add 1–2 tablespoons of the raisin pickling liquid. Top with the almonds and serve at room temperature

   Substitute • couscous: quinoa, farro, pearl couscous • feta: shaved pecorino • golden raisins: sultanas, dried cranberries

   Vegetable swap • celery: fennel, cauliflower