Recipe from Tirzah Stashko
Adapted by Alexa Weibel
- Total Time
- 2½ hours, plus chilling
- Rating
- 4(469)
- Notes
- Read community notes
At Inga’s Bar in Brooklyn, this special salad is prepared in a professional kitchen with the resources to create its many components on a rolling basis. But the chef Tirzah Stashko’s exacting recipe can produce restaurant-worthy results at home if you set aside time to tackle its parts in advance. Inspired by the classic dish created by Victor Hirtzler, the chef at San Francisco’s Hotel St. Francis from 1904 to 1926, Ms. Stashko’s dish is more audacious: While Mr. Hirtzler braised celery until sweet, subtle and succulent, Ms. Stashko bolsters the softened stalks with bitter greens and piquant mustard seeds, then slicks them with mashed anchovies, capers and garlic. There is nothing subtle about it, but the complexity of each bite will validate your efforts. —Alexa Weibel
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Ingredients
Yield:6 servings
- 2tablespoons olive oil
- 2large carrots, peeled, roughly chopped, then pulsed in a food processor until minced
- 1½quarts/48 ounces vegetable stock
- 1lemon, quartered
- 12large fresh thyme sprigs
- 2garlic cloves, smashed
- 1tablespoon whole black peppercorns
- 2dried bay leaves
- 4teaspoons kosher salt
- 1head of celery, fresh green leaves reserved; stalks separated, trimmed and halved crosswise
- 12scallions, trimmed and halved crosswise, whites and greens separated
- ½cup white wine vinegar
- 2½tablespoons yellow mustard seeds
- 2tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1½tablespoons finely minced shallot
- 1tablespoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
- 6medium jarred anchovies in oil
- 1tablespoon brined capers
- 1large garlic clove, finely grated
- 1teaspoon red-pepper flakes
- 4teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 6cups spigarello (or baby kale, or trimmed Tuscan kale), torn into bite-size pieces
- 1cup shaved Parmesan (about 4 ounces), plus more to taste
- 1cup flat-leaf parsley leaves
- 4teaspoon sherry vinegar mixed with 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to taste
For the Braised Celery and Scallions
For the Pickled Mustard Seeds
For the Anchovy-garlic Paste
For Serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
239 calories; 14 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 8 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 18 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 8 grams sugars; 11 grams protein; 988 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Prepare the stock for the braised celery and scallions: In a large pot, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-low. Add the carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the stock and bring to a boil over high. Once it comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the carrots are soft and impart their sweetness, about 30 minutes. Strain liquid, discarding solids, and return to the pot.
Step
2
While the stock simmers, make the pickled mustard seeds: In a small pot, combine the vinegar, mustard seeds, sugar, shallot and salt. Stir to combine, then cook over low heat, bubbling very gently, until mustard seeds are plump, about 15 minutes. Let cool until room temperature, then refrigerate until chilled. (Makes ½ cup; see Tip.)
Step
3
As the stock continues to simmer, make the anchovy-garlic paste: Finely chop the anchovies and capers, occasionally smashing and spreading them using the flat side of your knife, until they start to form a paste. In a small bowl, stir together the anchovies and capers with the garlic, red-pepper flakes and olive oil until combined. (Makes ¼ cup.) Refrigerate until serving.
Step
4
Continue preparing the braised celery and scallions: Once the carrot stock has been cooked and strained, squeeze the lemon quarters over the carrot stock, then plop the squeezed pieces into the stock. Add the thyme, garlic, black peppercorns, bay leaves and salt. Bring to a simmer over medium.
Step
5
Once it simmers, cook the celery: Add the celery in two batches, one layer at time, simmering until tender, about 10 minutes per batch. (Cooked celery should bend a little, when lifted with tongs, without going totally limp.) Using tongs, transfer celery to a wide, shallow dish that can hold the celery, scallions and braising liquid.
Step
6
Cook the scallions in the stock: Add the firmer scallion whites and cook 2 minutes, then add the more tender scallion greens, and cook another 2 minutes, until all scallion pieces are tender. Add scallions to the cooked celery. Strain the stock over the scallions and celery, discarding the solids, and let the mixture cool at room temperature, about 30 minutes. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour or, ideally, overnight. (The braised vegetables will continue to absorb flavor but retain texture; they’ll keep, refrigerated, up to one week.)
Step
7
To serve, strain the braised vegetables. (Reserve the liquid to use as a stock; poach fish in it, add to soups, stews or pasta, or dip bread in it.) Slice the celery and scallions on a sharp angle into 1½-inch-long segments, then add them to a very large bowl. Add the spigarello, Parmesan, parsley and reserved celery leaves, plus the anchovy paste and the sherry vinegar mixed with olive oil; toss to coat. The salad should have the right balance of salt, acid and heat, with no ingredient overshadowing the other. Season with extra vinegar or olive oil, if needed.
Step
8
Plate the salad, mounding in the center of the plate. Dot with 2 to 3 very small spoonfuls of mustard seeds, to taste, and serve immediately.
Tip
- Use the mustard seeds to taste, but any remaining will “keep indefinitely — like mustard itself,” Ms. Stashko said. Refrigerate them for weeks or even months. Dollop the seeds on salads, roasted vegetables or any number of grilled meats for an instant burst of flavor.
Ratings
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out of 5
469
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Cooking Notes
Brooklyn gal
Before you do all this work, go to Inga’s and try the salad to see if you like it. And if you do, go there again.
attybythesea
I don’t understand the comments about this being too complicated to do at home. You make a braising liquid. You braise celery and scallions. You refrigerate it overnight. In the meantime, you make a dressing and a garnish. The next day you plate and serve. It’s obviously more trouble than cutting open a bag of already prepared salad, but no more trouble than a lot of dishes and it sounds delicious and uses ingredients most people have on hand. I can’t wait to try it out!
paul f
Started preparing this last night…”borrowed” some ADD meds from my kid…I’m nearly finished making the salad.
Lisa
15 min version: Braise celery in a good boxed (gasp) seafood stock; use raw red onions instead of braised shallots; open a great jar of French whole grain mustard instead of fussing with seeds. Follow other directions as provided.
Tanya
This is like the Gateau St. Honore of vegetable dishes - you make it once to prove you could, and then you never eat it again unless you’re ordering it off a menu.
shoebender
Made exactly as directed. Many steps but it was absolutely delicious and I will make again. Now that I've done it once, I see where I can stage some of the prep so it doesn't happen all at once: I'll make the braising sauce in advance, for example. Even picky "I don't like anchovies" eaters scraped their plates clean.
Bernice Glenn
I ate an original version at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco years ago , and also cooked it from a recipe listed in a history of salads from original sources. Victor's version was based on a chicken venison stock seasoned with salt and pepper, chervil and one fourth white wine taragon vinegar to three fourths olive oil. I plan to cook the new version, which has many more taste enhancements like sugar, mustard seeds, kale. and cheese -- blending the two versions to my particular taste buds.
Shannon
It’s honestly not as hard as it seems, just takes some forethought. Time savers - don’t bother to strain out the carrot pulp - you are straining later anyway and it only adds a tiny bit or orange specks to the braised veggies which actually looks pretty. Use a larger shallow pan rather than a pot and you can braise everything in one go. Can also cut celery and scallions in advance and keep in a wire colander in the braising liquid for quick straining.
Carol
Made this tonight — worth it!
Holly
Why not smash the capers and anchovy in a mortal and pestle? Did this then mixed the rest of the paste ingredients in a small bowl.
Deborah Sontag
I've had Inga's version twice and it is indeed scrumptious. Thanks, NYT, for sussing out the recipe. Yes, the dish is labor-intensive but it's a very special salad. (We consider it a main.) Besides, it's fun to make and the mustard seeds (great) and garlic-anchovy paste and brining stock could be done in advance. Can't say I achieved Inga's-quality perfection (celery wasn't quite tender enough, and I used baby arugula, which was a mistake) but it was pretty damn tasty.
Lisa
This salad is lit. Actually fairly easy to come along if you have something else that requires a bit of your intermittent attention nearby (examples: another dish, bills to pay, tidying) as the stock liquid burbles. Worth every minute.
Oliver Wiest
I'm stymied out of the chute. Step 1: Cook carrots then add stock. Recipe for vegetable stock?
jbtmd
The vegetable stock was excellent, I used it to poach someChilean sea bass (added soy sauce and a couple dried peppers), served it over white rice and the conserved minced carrots from step 3.
Posdible to preserve?
Wondering if it would be possible to preserve/can parts of this to speed up the process for future batches. Thoughts?
Jodi
So funny. I was looking for a recipe for Celery Victor precisely because I had one at Inga’s in Bklyn recently and it was out of this world -- a truly special dish. And the first comment says, “have it at Inga’s and if you like it, go there and have it again.” :-) This does look like a lot of work. Will have to try it on a weekend!
Rick M
I made it exactly as written. Hands down the best salad I've ever made, or tasted. Truely special. I'll make it again, but this time with confidence after having made it once.
Halina
A year late to this (and comments) but decided to cook it anyway, since 1) I enjoy cooking, and 2) didn’t have any PTO left to go to New York and try it.Found it no more labor-intensive than most interesting recipes. I had to make some substitutions because of what I had on hand, and everything tasted great as I was assembling it. However, the final product was a bit too acidic and lacked the fat component I was craving. (It is a salad I guess.) Next time will omit the sherry vinegar.
Halina
PS agree stock was amazing. I used miso broth since accidentally misplaced my open veggie broth container outside my work area (could I borrow someone’s child’s ADD meds?), and no worse for the wear.
Diana
Made this in late 2022 for the holidays, and forgot to comment. Followed directions exactly, and it was fantastic. It is somewhat time- consuming, but so are other great recipes. I usually save bits and bobs of bones and veggie liquid... I am used to making my own stock. By dividing the prep over 2 days, I did not find it difficult - loved using the leftover mustard seeds on meats & fish, too, and the salad definitely was worth making. Will save for my "special occasions" rotation.
exec60
Why not half the celery and scallions in half, then reduce the cooking time proportionally?
Lisa
This salad is lit. Actually fairly easy to come along if you have something else that requires a bit of your intermittent attention nearby (examples: another dish, bills to pay, tidying) as the stock liquid burbles. Worth every minute.
Kristin
Yum
Melanie C
This felt a little complicated (many steps) for a favor fully complex dish. It’s yummy but I’m not sure it was worth the effort. Next time, I would use less vinegar in the final plated salad
Stella Luna
We received a present jar of pickled mustard seeds for Christmas and it was gone before New Years I am happy just for that little recipe, which can be made equally well with wine instead of vinegar, but my grandsons are huge celery fans (and our son an anchovy addict). This recipe is really special, healthy and delicious. Worth enjoying the process. Serve shortbread or ice cream for dessert and the throw your efforts instead into the salad.
Gleaner
What is the texture of the celery after braising? The head note indicates "softness" but after 20 minutes the celery finally "bent a little". It is still crunchy, is that the intended texture?
MHB
Yes - softened yet still with crunch
jbtmd
The vegetable stock was excellent, I used it to poach someChilean sea bass (added soy sauce and a couple dried peppers), served it over white rice and the conserved minced carrots from step 3.
David Dedinsky
I did this last week for the Labor day weekend.What a treat. Apart, it dosen't look like much, but combined, IT IS SMASHING. Got rave reviews. FYI the instructions could use an edit.
Mimi
I had to read step #1 twice, but I get it now: I sauté the carrots and then add the stock to them to start developing a richer vegetable stock.
ABF
A little fiddly, as Nigella Lawson would say, but YUM. Braised the veg on Day 1, had the salad on Day 4, Veg were not mushy on Day 4. Salad was helped by super fresh kale and the anchovy caper dressing woud make anything taste good. Nice way to use veg that was int he house already. Very special dish. I don't live in NY so can't go to Inga's. Will make this again.
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