Italian Celery and Mushroom Salad

I'm so happy it is Friday, it has been a long week filled with a lot of emotions.  Tuesday was my grandpa's funeral and it was such a beautiful service.  It really helped being surrounded by lots of family and we all got through it together.  The funeral was in Hood River, OR and I ended up staying the night with family which was a really good decision.  Not only did I get to cook for everyone but my mother is learning how to do Bowen technique which is an alternative type of bodywork (like acupuncture) that focuses on muscles, tendons, and fascia.  Since she is still training and learning she has to have documented practice hours so she did a bunch of work on me and the next day my body felt amazing.  Speaking of taking care of my body tonight I am going to my first yoga (Vinyasa) class in years, back in college I did yoga almost everyday and I sure do miss it.  Onto the food I made this salad last night for a lovely friend potluck, we were entertained by games and a brand new kitten.  I also forgot to take a picture of the salad so the picture below is from the original recipe (linked above) and the photo credit goes to James Ransom.

Serves 4-6

The Ingredients

7 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided

 

1 pound mushrooms, delicate varieties such as cremini, oyster, or shiitake are best, wiped clean as sliced as thin as possible

 

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (I ended up adding more because I love citrus)

 

8 ribs celery, shaved paper thin (use a mandolin if you have one)

 

1 cup shaved parmigiano reggiano cheese

 

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

 

1/4cup chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley

 

 

 

The Process

 

1.  Saute the mushrooms: In a skillet, heat 3 Tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the sliced mushrooms and saute until golden brown, 5-6 minutes. Season with a little salt and pepper and then set aside to cool.

2.  Toss the salad: In a large serving bowl, whisk the remaining 4 Tbsp olive oil with the lemon juice. Add a little salt and pepper and then taste. Add more oil or lemon juice as you like. Add the celery, cooled mushrooms, cheese, and parsley to the bowl and toss until combined. Season with sea salt and pepper and serve.