Cookbook Challenge #16: Saying that tofu-stuffed celery is tastier than it sounds is keeping the bar pretty low

I’ve adulted so hard this month, it’s hard to believe it’s even me. This time of year is always super-busy, and having a soon-to-be-high-school-graduate around makes it even busier. Prom was one the many Covid casualties for the Class of 2021, so I (for some unknown reason) thought it would be a fine idea to host a semi-formal dinner dance in the backyard for Anna and a handful of her graduating, fully-vaccinated friends.

And you know what? It WAS a fine idea. Everyone looked lovely and a good time was had by all, and an event that should have been a memorable milestone turned out to be one after all. I’m kinda proud of that. Of course, combining party prep with all the other things going on – including 2 not-unexpected but still very sad funerals – plus work stuff means that there hasn’t been a lot of recreational writing going on. No matter.

Here is an appetizer for times when you need to look fancy-schmancy but you’re also really busy or it’s hot as hell or you just don’t want to do a lot of work, and you have to feed a group with all sorts of food issues and thinking about it is overwhelming. It’s tofu-based, which will shock anyone who knows me, but it fed the gluten-free, the dairy-free, and the vegans, and even the omnivores thought it was tasty and never would have guessed it wasn’t loaded with cheesy goodness.

The celery prep sounds a little fussy but it was really nice; you could also just use this as dip with crackers or cut vegetables, obviously, and I think it would make a nice mayo alternative on a veggie sandwich.

Happy snacking!

From Cocktail Food by Mary Corpening Barber, Sara Corpening Whiteford, and Lori Lyn Narlock. I was initially a little put off by the cutesy names (ironic, coming from me on this blog) but after trying the tofu I’m definitely interested in trying more of these recipes. It’s definitely earned its space on the bookshelf.

Tofu-Stuffed Celery

8 oz. extra-firm tofu, patted dry
¼ cup fresh basil
1 Tbsp fresh dill
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp lemon juice
½ teaspoon minced garlic
4 tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp black pepper
Celery stalks, for serving; or cut-up veggies, crackers, etc.

 Put everything in the food processor and blend until creamy. The original recipe has you chopping the herbs in advance, but I see no point in this when the machine will do all the work just fine. Process it a little longer than you think strictly necessary to make sure it’s extra-creamy.

Trim the ends of the celery stalk, then peel a thin strip off the length of it. This will make the celery lay flat on a serving platter once it’s stuffed and is well worth the effort. Cut the celery stalks on the diagonal into 1-inch lengths, then blanch in salted water for 1 minute. Drain and run under cold water or put in an ice water bath; when the celery is cool, pat it dry with paper towels and put it in the refrigerator to get cold again.

Spoon a teaspoon or so of the tofu mixture onto the celery. Feel free to garnish with little teeny sprigs of dill if you’re feeling like a purist; or arrange them in some kind of symmetrical pinwheel pattern if you have too much time on your hands, or whatever. The dip keeps for a couple of days in the fridge – possibly longer, but we ate it all before we could verify this.