Celery
Quick Braised Celery
Serves 4-6
1 head of celery, but into 3”/7.5 cm pieces
25g butter
1 Medium onion, peeled and thinly sliced
75g carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
8 fl oz (225ml) hot vegetable stock
1 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Melt the butter in a lidded frying pan or large saucepan and begin to cook for onions for 3-4 minutes until lightly golden, then add the carrots and cook for a further 2 minutes. Now add the celery and continue to fry for 5 minutes more, or until everything is slightly browned at the edges. Season with salt and pepper, then pour in the hot stock and place a lid on the pan.
Turn the heat down and simmer gently for 20 minutes, until the vegetables are almost tender, then take the lid off and increase the heat to medium and continue to simmer until the liquid has reduced and become slightly syrupy, about 5 minutes. Serve the celery with the juices poured over and sprinkled with parsley.
Celery Soup.
Serves 4
2 Carrots, peeled and chopped
2 onions
1 head of celery, each stick split vertically and cut in approx 1” lengths
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 potatoes, peeled and diced
2 ½ pints of Vegetable or Chicken Stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Handful of fresh parsley, chopped and a little for garnish.
Soften the carrots and onions in the olive oil in a heavy, covered pan. Stir the celery into the pan and leave it to steam-cook for 20-30 mins over a low heat to bring out the full flavour. Add the diced potatoes, cover with the stock, season with a little salt and pepper, bring to the boil and then simmer for 20 mins until the potatoes are soft. Add the Chopped parsley and then blend with a hand blender or in a liquidiser. Garnish with parsley before serving.
Braised Celery and Carrots
Serves 4-6
1 head celery, trimmed and cut into 7.5 cm (3”) pieces.
25g (1 oz) butter
75g (3 oz ) Carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
225ml (8fl oz) vegetable stock
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Melt the butter in a frying pan and fry the carrots for two minutes, now add the celery and continue to fry for 5 minutes more or until everything is slightly browned at the edges. Season with salt and pepper, then pour in the hot stock and place a lid on the pan. Turn down the heat and simmer gently for 20 minutes, until the vegetables are almost tender. Then take the lid off and increase the heat to medium and continue to simmer till the liquid has reduced and become slightly syrupy – about 5 mins. Serve the celery with juices poured over and sprinkled with the parsley.
Celery, Cheese and Walnut Grill
8 Celery Sticks
125 g Organic Cheddar Cheese
75g walnuts,chopped
1 clove garlic,finely chopped
Cut the celery into 10 cms lengths, and place in an ovenproof dish
Mix the cheese, walnuts and garlic together and press into the celery
Pre-heat the grill and grill until the cheese melts.
Fennel, Celery and Mozzarella Salad
1 Fennel bulb
1 whole piece buffalo mozzarella, drained and thinly sliced
1 Celery heart, pale centre stalks only, thinly sliced diagonally
125ml extra virgin olive oil
Juice of one lemon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Warm baguette or ciabatta bread, to serve
Halve the trimmed fennel bulb and remove the tough triangular core. Slice the flesh wafer thin.
Arrange the mozzarella slices in a single layer on a large plate.
Strew the fennel and celery over the mozzarella.
Season generously, lash on the olive oil and lemon juice.
Serve with a warmed baguette or ciabatta bread.
Braised Celery with Parmesan
Serve 4 as a side dish
1 Head of celery
240ml chicken or vegetable stock
2 tbsp Olive oil
8 cloves of garlic, whole
1 sprig of fresh thyme
Freshly ground salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp freshly grated parmesan
Cut the celery into 2” long pieces (thick matchsticks). Chop any celery leaves as well. Place the celery, stock, olive oil, garlic and thyme in a medium frying pan over a high heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring the liquid to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, partially covered until the celery is just tender, 10-15 minutes. Remove the celery and place in a serving dish. Reduce the liquid over a medium-high heat to make a thick glaze. Remove the thyme sprig and pour the glaze over the celery, then sprinkle with the parmesan and serve.
Celery and White Stilton Soup
40g butter
300g celery, thinly sliced
450mlwater
1 bay leaf
250ml milk
75ml single cream
140g white stilton,crumbled
Freshly ground salt and pepper
1 large onion, or 2-3 small ones
250g potatoes, peeled and chopped
Melt the butter in a large saucepan, add the onion and gently cook until soft and translucent. Add the celery, potatoes, water, bay leaf and black pepper. Cover, bring to the boil and simmer for 30 minutes.
Remove form the heat, remove the bay leaf, then add the milk and blend until smooth. Return back to the pan. In the blender put the crumbled stilton and cream, add a mugful of the warm soup and liquidise until smooth.
Stir into the rest of the soup, heat through, season and serve. Do not boil the soup once you have added the cream and stilton.
Celery Au Gratin
Serves 4
1 head celery
25g butter
3 tbsp plain flour
450ml milk
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ tsp English mustard powder
125g Cheddar cheese, grated
25g fresh wholemeal breadcrumbs
Break the celery in sticks and cut into lengths of even size and cook in salted boiling water for 10 minutes, until just tender.
Heat the butter in a pan and stir in the flour. Cook for 1 minute. Gradually add the milk and stir until thick and smooth.
Add the mustard and cheese and stir well. Season, to taste.
Drain the celery and place in a greased ovenproof dish. Pour over the sauce and sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the top. Place under a preheated grill for 3-4 minutes to brown the top. Serve immediately.
Celery with pine Nuts
Serve 4
1 head of celery
1 medium or two small onions, peeled and chopped
One large handful of pine nuts, toasted
4 teaspoons butter
2 teaspoons of freshly chopped parsley
Wash the celery stalks and cut into diagonal pieces about 1” long. Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the onions and celery. Cover and cook, shaking the pan until the celery is tender-crisp, about 15 minutes. Remove the lid, stir in the pine nuts and parsley and serve immediately.
Celery,carrot and onion ragout
This tastes sweet and delicious and a good accompaniment to grilled chicken, fish or meat.
1 Head of celery
350-400g carrots
1 onion
20g butter.
Slice the celery, peel and slice the carrots and onions.
Melt the butter in a heavy pan over a low heat.
Add the vegetables to the pan and stir to coat in the butter. Add freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Cover and cook over a very low heat for 30-40 minutes until the vegetables are tender. The idea is to “sweat” the vegetables rather than fry them. Shake the covered pan frequently to make sure the veggies are not sticking.
Roast Vegetable Soup
Serves 2-4
750ml vegetable stock
1 kg mixed vegetables, ie. carrots, parsnips, cauliflower, leeks, celery, onions etc.
2-4 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole
3 tbsp olive oil
4 sprigs fresh rosemary or thyme, or a handful of sage leaves.
Salt and black pepper.
Juice 1 lemon (optional)
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
Chop the vegetables into bite sized pieces. Place in a roasting tin with the whole garlic cloves. Mix the olive oil with the herbs and lemon juice if using.
Pour over the vegetables and toss thoroughly. Place in the preheated oven and bake for 30-40 minutes until the vegetables are tender and well browned.
Place in a saucepan with the vegetable stock. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 5 minutes. Cool.
Blend half of the mixture, then return to the pan to reheat. Serve with crusty bread