A Dish Of Baked Celery And Its Sauce Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
• Separate celery into stalks, remove leaves (save for soup) and trim, wash well and cut into pieces about 3/4-inch thick.
• Place celery in an ungreased casserole dish.
• Dice bacon; add bacon and sliced onion to casserole, atop the celery.
• Sprinkle all with fresh parsley.
• Combine stock and water (or just use all stock) and pour over dish; don't stir.
• Dot casserole with small bits of butter.
• Cover dish and bake for 30 to 45 minutes, or until celery is cooked but not mushy.

Steps:

• Clean the celery, washing off all dirt. Chop into desired size. I suggest cutting the ribs into approximately 1 inch pieces (I cut on the diagonal to try to make it look fancier). Include the ribs and as much of the leafy greens as you can--they're tasty too! (My cleaning approach for a particularly muddy head of celery was to chop first, discarding the dried out tops, dunk it all in a bowl of cold water and swish around to get the dirt to fall to the bottom, and then scoop out the celery pieces into a salad spinner to remove excess water.).
• In a medium to large size saucepan on the stove top, saute the celery (you may need to work in two to three batches depending on your pan size and amount of celery) in the 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil. (If you saute in batches, only use a total of 1 tbsp oil--e.g. if you saute in two batches use about 1/2 tbsp per batch.) When sauteing, try to develop a little of the browning/carmelization that will give the dish extra flavor by not stirring constantly. When the celery has cooked to your desired done-ness (e.g., I like mine lightly sauteed and still a little crispy), lightly salt and transfer to a 8 x 8 square glass baking dish. Repeat until all celery is sauteed and in the baking dish.
• (Assuming you have not burned the celery in the pot) Using the same hot pot you just emptied of the last batch of sauteed celery, over medium heat add another 1 tbsp of olive oil and the diced onion. Saute for a few minutes to your desired done-ness. Add the 1 1/2 tbsp butter and allow to thoroughly melt, stirring in to the onions. Once melted, add the 1 1/2 tbsp flour and stir well. Keep stirring for a few minutes--not allowing to burn--as the roux comes together. (Just keep it moving in the pan, and take it off the heat if you think it is starting to burn.).
• Slowly add small amount of the milk, stirring well after each addition to thoroughly incorporate. Add the nutmeg and taste for seasoning. You'll probably need to add more salt, maybe even a few tablespoons (depending on the type of salt you use). Keep stirring the mixture over medium heat until you get the seasonings right and the mixture comes just up to a boil and thickens. Turn off the heat.
• Mix the melted butter with the bread crumbs.
• Add the sauteed celery back in and stir to coat the celery with the creamy mixture. Transfer the creamy celery mixture back to the baking dish. Top with the butter/bread crumb mixture and bake (or broil if you pan can handle it) in the oven just to brown the bread crumbs.
• Variations: You could add or substitute other vegetables in this dish, e.g., peas, carrots, potatoes, brussel sprouts, cubed squash, asparagus, leafy greens. You could also add herbs and spices to your liking. You could add shredded cheese to the roux once it comes together to give it a cheesier flavor. You can omit the bread crumb topping--I often do.

Steps:

• In a large skillet, saute onion, celery, mushrooms and green pepper in butter until tender, about 8 minutes. Stir in rice, salt, sage and pepper; reduce heat to low. Cook and stir 3-4 minutes longer or until heated through.

Steps:

• Arrange fillets in a lightly greased 12 x 8 x 2 inch baking dish. Combine soup, butter, green pepper, and lemon juice; pour over fish. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or till fish flakes easily with a fork. Place fish under broiler 2-3 minutes or till lightly browned.

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.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• In a 9x13 inch baking dish, combine rice, mushrooms, celery, red bell pepper, onion soup mix, beef broth, oil, water and soy sauce.
• Bake, covered, in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until all liquid is absorbed and rice is cooked.

Steps:

• Snap the heads of celery into individual ribs (a strangely satisfying task), then wash, trim, and neaten them where necessary. Lay the ribs in a large, ovenproof baking dish or saucepan and pour in enough water barely to cover them. Peel and thinly slice the onion, then add to the dish with the bay leaves, a little salt, and some black pepper. Poach over low heat, with the water at a gentle bubble, till the celery is tender to the point of a knife.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Remove the celery, onion, and bay with a slotted spoon and lay them in a large, shallow ovenproof baking dish or roasting pan, leaving the hot cooking liquor behind. Warm the milk in a small pan. In a separate pan, melt the butter over medium heat and stir in the flour. Continue cooking, stirring pretty much continuously, until you have a pale, golden paste-it will smell warm and slightly nutty. Add 1 1/2 cups (350ml) of the cooking liquor from the celery followed by the warmed milk, a small ladleful at a time, until you have a smooth sauce. Stir in three-quarters of the Parmesan and turn the heat down so that the sauce simmers quietly for a good fifteen to twenty minutes. Chop the parsley not too finely, stir it into the sauce, then taste and correct the seasoning (I try to bear in mind that I will be adding more Parmesan shortly, which will be a little salty).
• Pour the sauce over the celery. Mix the remaining grated Parmesan with the breadcrumbs, then sprinkle over the top. Bake for forty minutes or so, until the sauce is bubbling enticingly.