Parmesan Celery Salad

So as I was staring at a large bunch of celery in the fridge, I remembered this recipe I saw that seemed incredibly simple and used only ingredients I already had. Of course, I had to go mess with it a lot, since I also wanted to use up a slightly withered carrot, and then to turn it into more of a main meal I wanted something more bulky in there (hence the chickpeas, in a totally different quantity). So basically by the time I was done it was a very different dish, but still, I know exactly where the jumping-off point was!

Point is, you can make the original, which I'm sure would be great, or you can tweak to your heart's content, and still make something wonderful.

Parmesan Celery Chickpea Salad
Inspired by 101 Cookbooks

Ingredients

8 large celery stalks, stripped of strings

1 large carrot
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
4 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan, plus more for topping
2 cans of chickpeas, heated
40 g roasted salted peanuts
sea salt
freshly chopped herbs (or herb flowers), or reserved celery leaves

Method

Slice the celery stalks quite thinly - 1/8-inch or so. Do the same to the carrot. Then, in a small bowl, make a paste with the olive oil, lemon juice, and Parmesan. Set aside. In a large bowl toss the heated chickpeas with the olive-Parmesan mixture. When well combined, add the celery, carrots and the peanuts. Toss once more. Taste and add a bit of salt if needed. Serve in a bowl or platter topped with herb flowers and/or celery leaves.