Braised Celery Food

BRAISED CELERY

Steps:

• Clean and chop celery into 1 inch pieces.
• Blanch the celery for 1 minute in boiling salted water.
• Drain and place in a buttered casserole with the butter and good grinding of pepper.
• Mix the chicken stock in the cup of boiling water until dissolved, then pour over the celery.
• Cover and bake at 325F for 1 hour.

BRAISED CELERY

Steps:

• Arrange the celery in a single layer on the bottom of a large skillet. Season with salt and pepper. Dot with butter. Dissolve the bouillon cube in boiling water, and pour over the celery.
• Cover pan, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley before serving.

BRAISED CELERY

Steps:

• Saute 1 sliced onion in a skillet with butter until golden. Add 1 chopped carrot, fresh oregano, salt and pepper; cook 2 minutes. Peel 1 bunch celery; cut into long pieces and add to the skillet with 1 cup chicken broth. Cover and simmer until just tender, 20 minutes; uncover and boil to thicken. Stir in more butter and chopped parsley.

BRAISED CELERY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees, with rack in upper third. Cut each head of celery in half lengthwise, and peel larger stalks with a vegetable peeler. Trim 1/4 inch from bases (keeping heads intact), then trim tops so each half is about 12 inches long. Arrange celery in a single layer, cut-sides up, in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Season generously with salt and pepper; scatter with thyme and dot with butter. Pour in broth and oil.
• Cover with parchment-lined foil. Bake until celery is knife-tender, 40 to 45 minutes. Turn oven to broil; remove foil. Spoon juices over celery and broil until lightly charred in spots, 5 to 10 minutes. Serve.

BRAISED CELERY WITH LENTILS AND GARLIC

Steps:

• Heat ¼ cup oil in a large high-sided skillet over medium-high. Add celery and toss to coat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until celery is very lightly browned, about 5 minutes, then add garlic and toss to coat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until garlic is deep golden brown and celery is tender and golden brown, 5-7 minutes. Mix in 1 tsp. kosher salt, then add wine and herbs (if using) and stir to combine. Cook until wine is reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Add broth and bring to a boil; stir in lentils. Cook until lentils are warmed through and flavors have come together, about 5 minutes. Taste and season with more kosher salt if needed. Fish out herb sprigs if using and discard.
• Heat remaining 1 Tbsp. oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium. Crack eggs into skillet and cover with a lid (or a baking sheet if you don't have one), reduce heat to low, and cook just until egg whites are set but yolks are still runny, about 3 minutes.
• Divide braised celery mixture among bowls. Top each with an egg and some celery leaves; sprinkle with sea salt and pepper. Serve with crusty bread, if desired.

BRAISED CELERY WITH THYME AND WHITE WINE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil over high, and heat the oven to 400 degrees.
• Prepare the celery: Separate the stalks, and reserve some celery leaves for garnish. Gently peel the outer layer of the thicker stalks to remove any tough strings. Cutting at a sharp angle, trim and discard the tips of the stalks, then cut stalks on an angle into 3-inch pieces. Add the celery segments to the boiling water, and cook just until slightly softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon or tongs, transfer the blanched celery to a large 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish, and arrange in an even layer.
• Top with the stock, wine and olive oil. Add the shallots, bay leaves, thyme sprigs and garlic, tucking them between the celery layers, then sprinkle with the peppercorns, herbes de Provence and 1 teaspoon salt. Dot with the butter, then cover tightly with aluminum foil.
• Transfer to the oven and bake until celery is tender and yielding, about 45 minutes, if you want it to retain slight bite, or 1 hour or more, if you prefer it extra-tender.
• Using tongs or a slotted spoon, transfer the braised celery to a serving platter or shallow bowl and cover. Transfer the remaining liquid to a medium saucepan and boil over medium-high until reduced by half, about 15 minutes. Pour the reduced sauce over the celery, straining, if desired, and sprinkle with fresh celery leaves and parsley. Serve warm.

ONE-POT BEEF BRISKET & BRAISED CELERY

Steps:

• If you have time, up to 24 hrs before, sit the beef in a snug plastic container and pour over the wine. Cover and leave to marinate in the fridge, turning the beef as and when you can.
• Heat oven to 170C/150C fan/gas 3½. Drain the wine from the beef (if you've marinated), but keep the wine. Heat the oil in a flameproof casserole dish that will fit the beef and all the vegetables - don't worry if the beef is too tall for the dish. Season the beef and spend a good 15 mins browning it on all sides, then remove from the dish. Add the celery, carrots and onion to the dish, sizzle in the beef fat for 5 mins, then add the garlic and herbs. Nestle the beef among the vegetables, pour over the wine and bring to a simmer. Cover the dish with its lid (or foil if the beef is too tall) and braise in the oven for 4-4½ hrs until very tender, turning the beef once.
• Once cooked, leave to rest for 10 mins, then lift the beef onto a carving board. Drain the vegetables (reserving the braising juices), toss with the parsley and tip into a dish. Spoon the fat off the braising juices and pour into a bowl for spooning over. The sauce can be chilled in the fridge - the fat will solidify and can be lifted off the sauce before it's reheated.

BRAISED CELERY (IRISH)

Steps:

• Clean celery, cut into one-inch pieces and place in a casserole dish.
• Finely chop bacon and onion and sprinkle over celery along with chopped parsley.
• Pour on stock. Dot with knobs of butter. Cover dish and bake in a moderate oven for 30-45 minutes.

BRAISED CELERY

Steps:

• Neatly trim the bottom of each bunch of celery, making it clean and smooth. Cut off the celery bunches about 4 inches from the bottom. Save the leafy portion for other uses.
• Using a swivel-bladed vegetable knife, scrape the outside stalks, rinse well and drain.
• Boil enough water in a pan to cover the celery bases when they are added. Add the celery and simmer 5 minutes. Drain.
• Heat the butter in a skillet large enough to hold the celery bunches compactly in one layer. Sprinkle with onion and add the celery. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and add the broth. Bring to a boil and cover tightly. Simmer until tender, about 15 to 20 minutes.

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

Steps:

• Keeping celery ribs attached at base, peel outer ribs of celery hearts with a vegetable peeler, then trim ends and halve hearts lengthwise.
• Melt butter in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat. Add celery and cook, turning with tongs occasionally, until pale golden on all sides, about 8 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and cook, covered, until liquid is evaporated and celery is tender and golden, about 20 minutes. Serve warm.