The Viral Celery Salad + A Warm Welcome!

Welcome to A Way With Food by Natalie Chassay. I'm so happy you're here! Keep reading for a great recipe, plus a quick note on why I've moved to Substack — and what to expect from me each week!

How it all began.

In January, I shared a recipe reel for a celery salad on Instagram. Since then, I’ve had hundreds upon hundreds of requests for a written copy of said recipe, which I share further down below. But first, some background.

I was at my best friend’s 40th birthday party at The Bull in Charlbury last November. At the dinner, I was chatting with a fellow guest, and though we hadn’t met before, the two of us quickly bonded over our love for food and, more specifically, over our mutual reverence for lemon and parmesan, those two transformative ingredients that have the power to elevate even the simplest vegetables into something extraordinary.

She then told me about a salad that perfectly encapsulated our shared obsession. It was the celery salad from The Four Horsemen in Brooklyn New York, a restaurant I’ve been to before (and loved).

Alas, this was not a salad I’d tried, which was a shame, because it all sounded extremely perfect to me. Without any visual, nor any strong feelings about celery, I just knew that I was going to LOVE this salad.

Celery, dates, walnuts, lemon, olive oil, salt, parmesan and shallots??? HELL YES!

So, a couple months later, feeling heavy from all the festive season feasting, and craving something fresh and crunchy, I remembered that conversation about the celery salad and was like, yep, this is what I’m going to film and eat TODAY!

What I didn’t know was that this recipe reel would go viral, and essentially start a celery craze (in certain corners of the internet), converting many self proclaimed ‘celery haters’ to die hard ‘celery lovers’.

Like everyone else, I was blown away by how simple (and bloody delicious) this salad was. And I was equally blown away by the response. The fact that 1.2 million people have viewed my reel, and 54,000 people (and counting) have saved it, boggles my mind.

Now, first things first, this is not an exact replica of the Four Horsemen celery salad.

I believe theirs has mint and their cheese of choice is Piave Vecchio, so for all those Horsemen lovers, please don’t come at me.

This is a take on the salad.

I said so in my reel and I’m saying it again here, because there is so much recipe plagiarism out there (and I hate when people don’t credit others in inspiring new creations). But I digress.

I’m getting to the recipe, promise!

This all brings me to the launch of this here newsletter on this here platform.

I actually have shared a written version of this recipe (in my previous newsletter). Back then, at the start of this year, I was not writing as regularly as I wanted.

To be totally open, I felt an uncomfortable and constant inner battle when it came to sending out my newsletter, and that’s despite the fact that I love words, and really love stringing sentences together about food. Somehow, the thought of putting together my own recipe emails always felt like such. A. Drag.

I was sending my newsletters via a different platform, and whilst that platform created very lovely looking, well designed emails, I felt very disconnected from you, dear reader.

What I felt was a distinct lack of community. And community is something I value so much. It could be the fact that I live so far from my family, and have for many years. But the idea of building a community of likeminded people is something that really motivates me. I suppose this is why I find it much, much easier to share recipes on IG week in and week out, without batting an eyelid.

Sharing recipes has become an extension of the person I am.

I absolutely love it.

I adore connecting with likeminded food lovers. Having direct dialogue with so many people all over the world is exactly why I’ve decided to jump to Substack, a platform where I feel I can genuinely nurture more of the community element that sparks so much joy for me.

Now, it wasn’t an easy decision to make. I was definitely apprehensive, concerned that so many of you might have Substack fatigue, but, even as I write (and re-write, and re-re-write) this very first note, it already feels right.

I’m so excited to get going!

An archive. Hallelujah!

Unlike that previous platform, Substack has an archive, meaning you can access previous newsletters and recipes, with ease. My previous newsletter did not have a viewable archive, which meant that I didn’t have an easy way to write back to the (literally) hundreds of requests for the celery salad recipe I’ve received, mostly because so many people subscribed after I’d already sent it. This was annoying for me, and very annoying for everyone who was keen to access it.

But that is the past, and this is the future.

So, what can you expect from me?

I’ll be aiming for at least 6 newsletter issues per month across food and travel. 3 will be free for everyone to access, and the additional 3 will be available to read via a small paid subscription.

OK. Thank you for reading. But enough chit chat! Without further ado…

The celery salad recipe. For free. Forever. Finally!

INGREDIENTS makes for a small side or larger individual salad

• 8 or more large celery stalks, very finely sliced on a wide angle. The thinner the better

• 8 to 10 firm dates, pitted and sliced into long, thin strips

• 1 large or 2 small banana shallots, very finely diced

• A large handful of walnuts, roasted in a hot oven for about 10 minutes or until golden, fragrant crunchy

• The juice of 2 juicy lemons

• Lots of grated parmesan, probably more than you think

• Sea salt flakes to taste

• Extra virgin olive oil

METHOD

Okay, so before we get into the actual method I think it’s really important for me to establish the lay of the land from the outset:
I do not believe in strict measurements.
I believe that more is often more.
I believe in tasting as you go. Looking, seeing, feeling, amending.
That, for me, is the true joy of cooking.
I will never be able to give you a precise quantity of anything in grams or ounces or tbsp’s because with this type of fluid cooking, it’s absolutely unnecessary to be married to the specifics.
I’m going to teach you HOW to cook, not just WHAT to cook.

Okay, here goes:

1. In a mixing bowl, throw in the shallots and dates and dress very generously with olive oil, salt, parmesan and lemon juice and stir well. This is your dressing, so it should be bountiful enough to coat all of your celery. It shouldn’t be too thick, nor too runny.

2. As it sits, the dates will macerate a bit, seeping their sweetness into the rest of the sauce. Have a taste. Close your eyes. Is it sweet enough? Salty enough? Lemony enough? It should be all of those things, balanced well. So make any adjustments that you think are needed. Trust yourself. You will know what to do.

3. Once the dressing has sat for at least 10 minutes and combined a bit, throw the celery and walnuts directly into the same bowl and use your hands to get stuck in and toss it all together very well, ensuring all pieces of celery are coated well.

4. Taste it again! You still have the opportunity to make any changes you see fit. More parmesan, if it doesn’t taste savoury enough. More lemon, if it needs more tang. Play with it ‘til you’re happy.

5. Heap it up onto a big platter and enjoy one of the greatest salads of all time.

Thank you for reading!

Natalie

PS - Next up is this wonderful sea bream and potato dish with a green olive, preserved lemon, almond and mint relish. Recipe going out next week. Stay tuned!