Spicy Cold Braised Celery Recipes

BRAISED CELERY

Steps:

• Peel any of the fibrous outer stalks of celery with a vegetable peeler and slice into 1-inch pieces on the bias.
• Heat the butter in a 10-inch saute pan over medium heat. Once melted, add the celery, salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes until just beginning to soften slightly. Add the beef broth and stir to combine. Cover and reduce the heat to low. Cook until the celery is tender but not mushy, approximately 5 minutes. Uncover and allow the celery to continue to cook for an additional 5 minutes or until the liquid has been reduced to a glaze. Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with the reserved leaves.

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.

CELERY STRATA

Steps:

• Whisk together the milk, eggs and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Stir in the thyme and sage. In a separate bowl, mix the ricotta, Parmesan, pepper and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt and stir in the braised celery.
• Grease a 9-by-12-by-2 1/2-inch pan with 1 teaspoon of butter. Place 6 slices of bread in the bottom and top with 1/2 of the ricotta-Parmesan mixture. Repeat, then finish with a layer of bread spread with the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Pour the egg mixture over the top, gently pressing down so it soaks through the bread. Wrap the pan in plastic and refrigerate overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove the plastic from the pan and sprinkle with Cheddar cheese. Put this pan into a large roasting pan on the middle rack in the oven. Pour boiling water into the larger pan to reach halfway up the sides and bake for 50 minutes.
• Remove the smaller pan from the water bath, increase the heat to 400 degrees and bake for 10 minutes, or until the strata is puffy and brown. Let cool and serve.

SPICY CELERY WITH GARLIC

Steps:

• Using a vegetable peeler, remove the tough, fibrous strings from the celery ribs. Cut the celery into 2-inch pieces. You should have about 8 cups.
• Place the celery pieces in a large bowl, cover with cold water and wash them thoroughly.
• Place the celery, still wet, in a large saucepan with the remainder of the ingredients. Bring the mixture to a boil, uncovered; then, reduce the heat, cover and cook gently for about 25 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated and the celery is tender.
• Serve immediately, or if you want to serve the dish later, cool, cover, refrigerate and reheat briefly in a microwave oven or in a saucepan on top of the stove.

SPICY COLD BRAISED CELERY

Steps:

• Boil the celery in lightly salted water for 1 minute. Drain, cool under cold running water and set aside.
• Melt the butter in a large nonstick skillet and saute the scallions for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the broth, coriander seeds, celery seeds and chili-pepper flakes and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the celery and lemon juice. Cover, reduce heat to very low and simmer until the celery is tender, 10 to 12 minutes. If more than 1 cup of broth remains, remove the celery and continue cooking until the broth has reduced. Recombine celery and broth in a flat container, add the salt and refrigerate, covered with tinfoil, for 1 hour.
• Chop 1/2 of the cilantro leaves with the celery leaves and add to the celery. Sprinkle the remaining cilantro on top and serve.

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 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.

SPICY COLD CELERY

Steps:

• Cut the celery into 2-inch lengths. Mix with the salt and 1 teaspoon of the sugar and set aside for 10 minutes while you whisk together the remaining ingredients.
• Rinse, drain, and pat dry the celery, then toss with the dressing. Let stand in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours and up to a day. Serve chilled.