Braised Celery Hearts With Tomato And Olives Food

BRAISED HEARTS OF CELERY VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil and drop in the celery. Boil until partially cooked, about 3 minutes. Drain, pat dry and lay side by side, cut side up, in a baking dish.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in medium skillet over medium heat and add the onion and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring, until the onion softens, about 5 minutes, and add the garlic. Stir together for a minute, until fragrant, and add the stock, lemon juice, and the wine. Bring to a boil on top of the stove and pour over the celery. Season the celery with salt and pepper and lay the lemon slices on top. Cover tightly and place in the oven. Braise for 40 minutes, or until the celery is thoroughly tender but still holds its shape. Remove from the heat and allow the celery to cool in the liquid.
• Using tongs, remove the celery from the pot and cut the halved bunches lengthwise in half again. Transfer to a platter or a wide serving dish. Pour the liquid into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce by about half. Pour over the celery. Drizzle on the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, grind on some pepper, sprinkle on the parsley and serve, or chill and serve cold or at room temperature. Spoon liquid from the platter over each portion.

TOMATO-BRAISED CELERY WITH OLIVES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat oil in a straight-sided skillet over medium. Add thinly sliced onion and anchovies. Cook, stirring occasionally, 5 to 6 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Stir in celery, tomatoes, chicken broth, and bay leaves.
• Bring to a boil, then cover and transfer to oven. Cook, stirring once, 30 minutes. Stir in olives; return to oven and cook, uncovered, 10 to 15 minutes more. Serve.

BRAISED CELERY HEARTS WITH TOMATO AND OLIVES

Steps:

• Leaving root ends intact, strip off outer branches, leaving about 2 pounds tender, leafy inner stalks. Cut into 8-inch lengths . Quarter lengthwise, place in large mixing bowl, toss with salt, set aside.
• Put oven racks in top position, preheat broiler. Place tomatoes in pie plate, drizzle with one tablespoon oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Broil, stirring occasionally, until surface moisture evaporates and tomatoes are charred, about 10 minutes. Set aside.
• Warm 2 tablespoons olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onions, saute until soft and golden, stirring frequently, about 7 mintues. Transfer onions to shallow 3-quart gratin dish. Warm 3 tablespoons olive oil in same skillet over medium heat. Place celery flat side down in a singer layer, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and sear without moving, until celery is golden brown on one side, about 4 minutes. Turn hearts with tongs and brown second side. Transfer celery to dish with onions, arrange snugly. Add 3 tablespoons more olive oil to skillet, brown remaining celery. Arrange in gratin dish. (Celery should be in a single layer.) Slide tomatoes over celery and onions. Add wine and stock to gratin dish, drizzle vegetables with remaining oil. Shake dish gently to settle vegetables. Position black olives in low spots so they don't dry out.
• Adjust oven racks to middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Set gratin dish over low flame and bring to a simmer. Taste liquid and season with salt, if necessary, or a pinch of sugar if acidic. Shake pan to distribute. Cover with foil, transfer to oven and bake until celery is tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove foil, increase oven temperature to 475 degrees, bake until tips of vegetables are brown, 5 to 10 minutes. Garnish with julienned anchovy fillets and toasted breadcrumbs, if desired.

BRAISED CHICKEN THIGHS WITH BELL PEPPERS, OLIVES AND TOMATOES

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven (5-quart pot with a tight-fitting lid), warm oil over medium heat.
• Season chicken with salt and pepper, and cook until browned, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.
• Add bell peppers, onion, and garlic to pot; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5-7 minutes.
• If using whole tomatoes, gently crush tomatoes with your hands; add them to the pot along with their juice. If using canned crushed tomatoes, empty can into pot.
• Add the pitted and quartered olives, the bay leaf, paprika, thyme, and water to the pot. Bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Return chicken to pot; reduce heat. Simmer, partially covered, until chicken is falling-apart tender, about 30-45 minutes.
• Discard bay leaf, serve hot over cooked pasta or rice.

WINE BRAISED CHICKEN WITH TOMATOES AND OLIVES

Steps:

• Place the garlic cloves in a saucepan, cover with water, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. As soon as the water comes to a boil, drain the garlic and discard the water. Repeat. Set the garlic aside.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large heavy flameproof casserole over medium-high heat. Add the chicken in a single layer, leaving space between the pieces. Season with salt and pepper, and cook until light golden on each side, 10 minutes total.
• Remove the chicken from the pan and pour off the excess fat. Increase the heat to high, add the wine to the pan, and reduce by approximately half, 10 minutes.
• Return the drumsticks and thighs to the pan, along with the garlic, chicken stock, tomatoes, and tomato paste. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 5 minutes.
• Add the breasts and continue to cook, covered, until the juices from the chicken are clear, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Using tongs, remove the chicken pieces from the pan and set aside; cover with foil to keep warm. Adjust the heat to high, add the olives and capers to the pan, and simmer until the liquid reduces by half and thickens, 10 to 15 minutes. (The chicken and sauce can be prepared ahead to this point and refrigerated. Bring the sauce back to a simmer before continuing.).
• Return the chicken to the pan and heat thoroughly, 5 to 10 minutes. Arrange the chicken on a platter and drizzle the sauce over the top. Garnish with parsley, and serve.

BRAISED GREEN BEANS WITH TOMATOES

Steps:

• Heat the oil in large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.
• Add the onions, celery and carrots and saute, stirring often, until the vegetables are tender, about 4 minutes.
• Add the green beans, tomatoes, salt and pepper.
• Cover the pot, reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the beans are very tender, about 55-65 minutes.
• Stir in the parsley and season with additional salt and pepper, if desired.

CELERY WITH TOMATOES, OLIVES AND CAPERS

Steps:

• In a large skillet, heat the oil on medium heat until shimmery.
• Add the onion, stir well to coat with oil, let cook while preparing the celery.
• Trim the celery ends, cut ribs in thirds lengthwise, then into two-inch lengths.
• Add the celery, stir well, then let cook undisturbed for 4 minutes. Stir, then pour in tomatoes, turn down the heat to medium low, cover and let cook until celery is tender, about 20 minutes.
• Uncover and stir in capers and olives and cook til warmed through and tomato juice cooks almost all the way down. Stir in basil.
• Season to taste.
• Serve immediately. Enjoy!

BRAISED CHICKEN LEGS WITH OLIVES AND TOMATOES

Steps:

• In a large heavy skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil until almost smoking.
• Season the chicken legs with salt and pepper and cook over moderately high heat until well browned, about 5 minutes per side. Remove the chicken from the pan and pour off the fat.
• Heat 2 more tablespoons of oil in the skillet. Add the onion and 3 of the garlic cloves and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until softened, about 7 minutes.
• Add the chicken to the skillet with the tomatoes, wine and rosemary; season with pepper and bring to a boil.
• Reduce the heat and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes. Season with salt. Transfer the chicken to plates and keep warm.
• Meanwhile, in a food processor, pulse the olives with the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and 1 garlic clove to a coarse paste.
• Stir the olive paste into the pan sauce and warm over moderate heat. Spoon the sauce over the chicken and serve.