Celery and white bean salad — a Honey & Co recipe

Celery is the eternal sidekick, always a bridesmaid, the last one to get picked on the crudité plate. It is probably the least exciting item on your shopping list. Yet it’s always there. It gives the backbone to sauces and stews. You might not know that it’s there, but if it wasn’t, you’d sense that something was up.

Which is a shame really. It has so much flavour on its own and, when handled well (the outer ribs should be peeled), it has the most perfect freshness and watery crunch, quite unlike anything else.

This may seem like an everyday kind of salad. The assembly is a doddle and you likely have all the ingredients at home already. But there is nothing boring about it. The sharp, pickled shallots, earthy cumin and savoury celery are balanced by the beans, globules of subtlety in that riot of flavour, softness in the midst of all that crunch.

We return to this salad again and again. We make it when we want something delicious and wholesome and there’s nothing in the house. It is great on its own or to make a meal from leftover roasts or cured fish. We serve it at big, fancy dinners and bring it to barbecues. It never fails to win plaudits, because that’s the thing about celery — it’s a great sidekick, but even better as the star.

Celery and white bean salad

Serves 4-6 as a light meal, 6-8 as a side

1. Peel the shallots and slice to thin half-moons. Place in a bowl with the salt, vinegar and lemon juice and leave to cure for 8-10 minutes until they are limp and tender.

2. Place the cumin seeds in a small pan on a low heat on the stove or in the oven. Roast until nice and fragrant (about five minutes). Lightly crush them in a pestle and mortar or coarsely chop with a knife. Add to the shallots.

3. Meanwhile, tackle the celery. Remove all the leaves, wash and keep to one side. Take out the outer, thick ribs and peel away the outer, fibrous layer. The inner, paler ribs — the hearts — should not need any peeling.

4. Thinly slice all the celery ribs. Coarsely chop the celery and parsley leaves. Add all this, plus the beans, to the bowl with the shallots. Add the olive oil and gently mix.

5. Taste for seasoning. Depending on what beans you use you may want to add a bit more salt.

Jancis Robinson, Itamar Srulovich and Sarit Packer will appear at the FTWeekend Festival on May 7 in Washington DC. Limited passes available at ftweekendfestival.com

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