I was watching the Barefoot Contessa this morning and she was making an Italian inspired meal which included a celery salad.  Her recipe although I am sure is very good seemed a little more complicated then the one I make –as do most celery salad recipes (too many ingredients overpower the delicateness of the main ingredients in my opinion) so I thought I’d post my recipe here today.

Italian Style Celery Salad with Parmesan                                                                            4-6 servings

• One medium to large bunch thinly sliced celery including the tender leaves, sliced on an angle (approx. 5 cups)
• 1/4 cup  freshly squeezed lemon juice (3 lemons)
• 1/2 cup good olive oil
• Fleur-de-sel sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 4 + ounces aged Parmesan cheese shaved

Put the sliced celery and coarsely  chopped (you still want to have the leaf form somewhat) leaves in a mixing bowl.  Add the lemon juice, olive oil, about 1/2 of the Parmesan cheese.  Toss together and taste.  Now add the  salt ( if you don’t have fleur-de-sel sea salt you can substitute any sea salt or even kosher salt)  and pepper to taste.

Put the salad in either a serving bowl or in individual serving cups/ bowls (I sometimes like to put this salad in a martini glass or a fancy ice cream cup) and sprinkle the balance of the shaved Parmesan and a few more cranks of the pepper mill on top.  That’s it.  Simple and easy celery salad fresh and delicious.