Celery Salt - DIY Pantry

Here's another fun thing from my DIY Pantry - celery salt. It sounds like such a gourmet item and costs an arm and a leg in the store - if you can find it! - and yet is so simple to make.  I use it in soups, stews, to dust savory pizza, especially with mushrooms and it adds the je ne sais quois that is always so much fun to have!

Of course it was Heidi from 101 Cookbooks who first planted the idea in my head. I would love to get into her pantry and play around! It is almost not even a recipe since it consists of celery and salt. That's it.

The trick is getting really fresh celery leaves which will be on a really fresh bunch. When you buy celery, look for one with lots of leaves and smell and taste a leaf before buying it. There should be no bitter taste otherwise that will be perfectly captured in your celery salt! This means NOT buying the ones that come in a plastic bag with the tops trimmed - all the good leaves are gone.

Celery Salt (from 101 Cookbooks)
(makes about 1 cup)

leaves from 1 bunch of celery, washed and patted dry
3/4 cup good salt (I used celtic sea salt)

Arrange leaves on parchment lined baking sheet and baked at 350 degrees for 5-7 minutes. Do not let the leaves touch each other so that they crisp rather than steam. Allow to cool completely and then crumb with your fingers - throw away any that are not crisp enough to crumble immediately. Mix with salt and store in an air tight jar.

Hugs!

Recipes currently inspiring me:

Butternut Squash Soup with Orange Zest and Spicy Pepitas at Stacey Snacks
Quinoa Salad with Apples, Cranberries and Feta at Cinnamon Girl Recipes
Spicy Carnitas and Black Bean Tamales at Honey From Rock