celery seeds

The majority of shortcut chicken soup recipes use rotisserie chicken. It’s a convenient hack, but cooked chicken doesn’t absorb flavors very well. On the other hand, sautéing ground chicken in olive oil with garlic, coriander and celery seeds (or fennel seeds and rosemary, or herbes de Provence) creates a deeply complex base. Add the vegetables, then the stock and the noodles for a complete meal that cooks in 30 minutes. You can use egg noodles, cavatelli or alphabet noodles, but you may want to adjust the amount of stock to taste, since they’ll each absorb a different amount of liquid.

Easiest Chicken Noodle Soup

olive oil

chicken

salt and black pepper

garlic cloves, roughly chopped

coriander

celery seeds (optional)

carrot,

celery stalks, halved lengthwise, then sliced 1/2-inch thick

shallot,

thyme leaves

chicken stock, plus more as needed

egg noodles, cavatelli or other small shaped pasta

parsley

In a large pot, heat 3 tablespoons oil over medium-high. Add the chicken, season generously with salt and pepper, and cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon, until starting to crumble, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, coriander and celery seeds (if using), and cook, stirring frequently, until chicken is cooked through, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, scoop the chicken into a small lidded bowl (to retain moisture); cover and set aside.

Add the carrot, celery, shallot, thyme and the remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the pot, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring, until slicked with fat, 3 minutes. Add the stock (7 cups for a stew-like soup or up to 8 cups for a brothy soup) and bring to a boil over high.

Add noodles and cook over medium-high until al dente according to package directions. (If the noodles absorb a lot of liquid, add more broth according to taste.) Add the reserved chicken and any accumulated juices and heat until warmed, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide among bowls; top with a spoonful of crème fraîche, a fistful of torn herbs and lemon zest.

There are three pretty joyful projects here that reward not only the pleasure-driven eater but the scientifically curious mind as well. Making soy milk, making soft tofu, and making a savory caramel sauce (not sweet like the one you're probably accustomed to, but vinegary and spicy) are all as easy as those beginner science projects we remember from grade school (growing marigolds or sprouting avocado pits) and equally as wondrous. As always, ingredients matter. The better the soy, the richer the milk, the richer the milk, the more compelling the tofu. The better the butter, the more expert the finished dish. Each component is quite easy but requires your full attention. Over-soaking the beans can give the curd a pitted texture; over-stirring the coagulant can break up the quickly setting curd and give you cottage cheese texture. And adding the vinegar to the burning sugar can be little hazardous – that step maybe closer resembles tenth grade chemistry than 1st grade marigold planting, I admit!

Warm Tofu and Fresh Soybeans Cooked in Salted French Butter and Celery-Seed Gastrique

filtered water

tofu coagulant (Powdered Nigari or Glucono Delta-Lactone)

sugar

water

celery seed

crushed chile flakes

apple-cider vinegar

French butter

frozen fresh shelled soybeans

salt

Tofu

Gastrique

Gray sea salt

Soak the dried yellow soybeans in tap water overnight at room temperature, making sure they are covered by 2 inches of water.

Pour 3 cups of filtered water into a large heavy-duty blender, then add in the strained beans. Grind the mixture until thick and smooth as a milkshake, stirring if necessary to encourage the beans to move at first. (You may need to work in two batches, depending on the size of your blender.)

In a large, clean stainless-steel 8-quart pot, bring 6 cups of filtered water to a boil over high heat.

Pour soybean purée into the boiling water. Stirring gently and constantly with a rubber spatula, cook until a rich, slightly thick, silky-looking off-white soy milk develops (about 8 minutes), adjusting the temperature as necessary so that the milk does not boil over. Be sure to drag the spatula across the sides and bottom of the pan as you stir to prevent scorching.

Line a large fine-mesh strainer with 4 layers of cheesecloth, and place the strainer over a large bowl. Strain the milk through the cloth and strainer, carefully adding it a bit at a time with a ladle if you’re not comfortable pouring the hot liquid. As the cheesecloth fills with tofu solids, you may have to empty it — just fold the cheesecloth over the solids, squeeze the cheesecloth until you have extracted all the milk and replace the cheesecloth. (Discard soybean solids.)

In a medium clean stainless pot, heat 6 cups of the soy milk to 165 degrees, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, dissolve 2 teaspoons of coagulant in the remaining 1/4 cup of filtered water. Pour the dissolved coagulant into a clean casserole dish, ensuring first that it is large enough to fit all 6 cups of soy milk.

Pour the hot soy milk over the coagulant, and stir quickly and briefly — only about 3 sturdy and confident Figure 8 strokes with a rubber spatula. Let it set up at room temperature undisturbed, 15 to 20 minutes, while you prepare the gastrique and fresh soybeans.

Combine the sugar and water in a small stainless saucepot, and cook over high heat until it is a deep-amber caramel. Do not stir it.

While the caramel is cooking, add the celery seed and crushed chile flakes to the vinegar, and let steep.

When the caramel is at desired point of caramelization, carefully add the seasoned vinegar all at once. It will stop the sugar from cooking. Take care not to get burned from the hissing steam. Let the mixture bubble for a minute or 2, until any bits of hard caramel have melted.

In a medium saucepot, combine butter, water and soybeans over medium-high heat, and simmer until water almost evaporates and beans are cooked through and glossy, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with kosher salt.

Evenly divide the beans and their buttery liquid among 6 shallow bowls.

In one motion, dip into the soft tofu with a large spoon, and slide tofu into the center of each bowl.

Drizzle a spoonful of gastrique onto the beans, leaving the tofu pristine. Finish with a few flakes of gray salt on the beans. Serve at once.

This classic version of coleslaw is also the simplest, with a light, creamy, tangy-sweet dressing spiked with celery seeds. For the best result, make the coleslaw a few hours ahead and refrigerate it to allow all the flavors to marry and soak into the cabbage. Celery seeds add strong, aromatic, grassy notes, but simply skip them if they’re unavailable. For extra flair, you could add ½ cup of your favorite chopped fresh herb, such as parsley, tarragon or dill. Leftovers make a great topping for tacos, hot dogs, sliders and sandwiches.

Coleslaw

mayonnaise

apple cider vinegar

Kosher salt and black pepper

green cabbage (about 2 pounds)

purple cabbage (about 1 pound)

carrots,

In a very large bowl, combine mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar and celery seeds. Season with salt and pepper, and mix until smooth.

Shred the cabbage: Using a sharp knife, quarter and core the green cabbage. Arrange quarters cut side down, so they sit flat and stable. Thinly slice them lengthwise for longer shreds (or crosswise for shorter shreds). Repeat with the purple cabbage. You should get about 16 total cups of shredded green and purple cabbage.

Add all the shredded cabbage and the shredded carrots to the bowl, season with salt and pepper, and toss until well combined. (Hands work best here.)

Transfer coleslaw to a serving bowl and serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate 3 hours ahead of time and up to overnight for the best texture, and serve chilled.

Horseradish Vodka

horseradish root

vodka

black peppercorns

Peel horseradish, and cut into fine shreds with a vegetable peeler. Uncap vodka, pour off 1 cup and reserve. Using a funnel, add celery seeds and peppercorns to bottle. Add horseradish, then top off bottle with reserved vodka. Let stand at room temperature for 24 hours.

Strain vodka through fine sieve to remove celery seeds and fine particles. Chill completely before serving.

Handmade agnolotti are filled with a chestnut pur&eacute;e then covered in a rich cream sauce&mdash;all garnished with shaved black truffles, of course.

Chestnut Agnolotti Recipe

eggs

all-purpose flour

chestnuts, cooked

heavy cream, divided

unsalted butter

Kosher salt,

egg, beaten, for egg wash

celery stalks, diced small

(10-ounce) leek—greens discarded,

celeriac,

milk

heavy cream

lemon juice

Celery leaves,

Chervil pluches,

black truffles,

Make the pasta dough: In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg, yolks and olive oil. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, mix together the flour and salt. Add the egg mixture to the flour and knead the dough for 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface, form into a round ball, cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 1 hour.

While the dough rests, make the chestnut filling: In a small saucepan, add the chestnuts, 2 cups heavy cream and butter. Bring the mixture to a boil then reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes.

Transfer the chestnut mixture to a high-speed blender and blend until smooth while gradually adding the remaining 1 cup of heavy cream. The purée should be thin enough that the blades of the blender don't stick. Season to taste with salt, transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap directly over the purée and allow to cool completely. Transfer the purée to a piping bag and set aside.

Divide the pasta dough in half and cover the half not being used with a towel to prevent it from drying out. Roll out the first half of the dough into a sheet that's 20 inches by 8 inches by ⅛ inch. Cut the pasta sheet in half lengthwise and pipe a ½-inch-thick strip of filling lengthwise down the middle of the pasta. Brush the top half of the pasta with the egg wash, then pull the bottom half over the filling and press lightly onto the top half of the strip to seal. Using your fingers, press down on the filled section of the pasta to form 1-inch-long pieces of agnolotti. Make sure that there is no filling in between each pasta indent, then using a fluted piecrust cutter, cut the pieces of agnolotti. Transfer the agnolotti to a lightly floured, parchment-lined sheet pan, sprinkle with flour and set aside.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. While the water comes to a boil, make your sauce. In a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the celery and leeks, and sweat for 10 minutes. Add the celeriac and cook until tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the celery seeds, milk and heavy cream; bring to a simmer, then reduce to low and cook for 15 minutes.

While the milk and cream are reducing, add your pasta to the boiling water and cook until tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Strain the pasta and add the pasta sauce to the pot. Turn off the heat, add the lemon juice, season with salt and pepper, and transfer to a serving dish. Garnish with celery leaves, chervil and shaved black truffles, then serve.

Top 5 celery seeds recipes from across the web

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Top Tags

Easiest Chicken Noodle Soup

Warm Tofu and Fresh Soybeans Cooked...

Coleslaw

Horseradish Vodka

Chestnut Agnolotti Recipe

Top 5 celery seeds recipes from across the web

The most viewed celery seeds recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Easiest Chicken Noodle Soup

Warm Tofu and Fresh Soybeans Cooked...

Coleslaw

Horseradish Vodka

Chestnut Agnolotti Recipe

The most viewed celery seeds recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine