At a party in the 60's someone ordered a Bloody Mary. There was no swizzle stick with the drink. He simply grabbed a celery stalk from a relish tray. And history was made!
I just love cooking with celery. Not because it helps men become more attractive to women. Some hormones get released when they have celery as I understand which makes them attractive to the ladies. Also not because it is negatively calorific; the calories spent in digesting celery is more than the calories it contains. I just love it because it exudes a miraculous fragrance and lifts the mood of the food.
I was toying with a bite kebab idea and came up with this light summery savoury. It is apt for anyone seeking something vegetarian, delectable and airy at a party.
Chop 2 large onions very finely. Do the same to 2 skinned carrots and 5 to 6 stalks of celery. Now in a tbsp and a half extra virgin olive oil, toss the onions till they are pink and glassy. Add the carrots and the celery and season with some garlic salt. Normal salt is also good. In about a minute add a tsp full of any dried herb you have and half a tsp of red chilli flakes. In about another minute, toss in grated 'paneer'. If you could use the flavoured one that you get these days it is even yummier. I used half a kilo of 'paneer'. Mix well with a spatula. Taste for seasoning. Now add about 4 - 5 tbsp of fresh bread crumbs, Store bought is fine but just ensure it is a fresh pack. Again blend in well, all of this at a medium flame for another 2 mins and then allow the whole mix to come to room temperature.
Next with your palms make little patties shaped like bite sized kebabs. Once a plate is filled, refregerate and then go on to the next batch. The refregeration period should be atleast an hour and a half.
Brush a non-stick pan with oil, warm it. Now lightly brown the kebabs. The flame size should be medium to low. Don't touch it too much with your spatula. Let it sit and brown on its own time. When one side is brown just gently flip it.
Serve or have with any chilli sauce if you need to though I enjoyed it with no accompanying sauce. It is crunchy, healthy and indeed yummy. It is summer time. Try it.
