Lesson 3 Stalks

Now that you've seen the video about how to select, store, and prepare various vegetable stalks, it's time to put that knowledge to work with this collection of tasty recipes...

• Grilled Market Dinner

• Asparagus Soup

• Steam Grilled Asparagus*

• Salmon and Asparagus Dinner with Potatoes

• Apple Rice Stuffing with Celery

• Squash and Celery Pasta Salad*

• Slow Cooker Lentil Rice and Celery Soup

• Vegetable and Hummus Plate*

• Chicken Corn Chowder with Celery

• Deep Dish Apple Rhubarb Pie

* Recipes marked with an asterisk (*) are vegan.

The most common stalks include celery and asparagus. Stalks are similar to leaves in that they can be easily overcooked so you want to cook them quickly and observe them carefully so they remain crisp-tender.

The only exception to this guideline is if you decide to puree them into a cream soup. In that case, they can be cooked until they're tender and then pureed for a creamy soup.

Here is a video about how to prepare celery for various uses from serving as raw sticks to dicing for salads or chopping for soups and broths:

And here's a photo demonstrating the various cuts you can use in celery. Starting at the top and moving clockwise, you will see celery that has been chopped, diced, sliced into sticks, and sliced on the bias for stir-fry dishes.

There are more ways to serve asparagus in the "vegetables as flowers section."