The encyclopædia of practical cookery

Boiled Celery. — (1) Cut off all outside pieces, and trim the roots of three heads of Celery ; cut them into 6 in. lengths, wash them well, and tie together. Cover them with boiling water in a saucepan, add some peppercorns, a piece of mace, an onion, and a little salt, and boil them. Put 1 dessertspoonful of flour and 1 table-spoonful of butter in a saucepan, and when it is melted add sufficient water that the Celery was boiled in to make the sauce. Beat the yolk of an egg with the juice of a lemon, and stir it in with the sauce when it is off the fire, adding a pinch of salt. When the Celery is done, put it on a dish, cut off the string that ties it together, and pour the sauce over. (2) Wash, trim, and blanch ten small heads of Celery, and blanch twelve medium-sized onions. Put the Celery and onions in a stewpan, cover with veal stock, and let them boil gently until they are tender ; then lay the Celery on some slices of toast, and put the onion? round the dish. Reduce some white bechamel sauce with 1 pint of the stock the vegetables were boiled in, and when it is thick add a little sugar and \ gill of very thick cream. Pour it over the Celery. (3) Carefully wash half-a-dozen heads of Celery without breaking them apart, and trim off the roots and green stalks ; boil them in salted boiling water until just tender, but not until it begins to break ; drain, and serve with any sauce. The Celery is dished on toast, like asparagus, or served with the sauce poured over it. Boiled Celery with Cream. — (1) Cut six heads of Celery into pieces about 3in. long, wash these thoroughly in plenty of cold water to remove all the grit, put them into a saucepan of water, and boil until they are quite tender. Pour 1 breakfast-cupful of cream into a saucepan, mix in a lump of butter kneaded in flour, season with salt and grated nutmeg, and boil over a clear fire until the whole is quite thick. Take out the Celery and drain it, put it into the saucepan with the cream, and warm it thoroughly, without boiling ; then arrange the pieces on a dish, pour the sauce over, and serve. (2) Chop off the green parts of three or four heads of Celery, cut the white into pieces about 3in. in length, wash them well, put them into a saucepan with plenty of water, and boil until tender. Pour 1 breakfast-cupful of cream Celery — continued. into a saucepan, add the strained and well-beaten yolks of four eggs, and sprinkle over salt and pepper to taste ; then drain the Celery and add it to this, and boil well until the liquor is thick. Cover a dish with slices of toast, pour the Celery mixture over them, and serve. Braised Celery. — Take a few heads of Celery and trim each stick, leaving only the white part; then tie them in bundles and parboil for about ten minutes, next throwing them into cold water. Take them out after a few minutes, drain them upon a sieve, afterwards place them in a stewpan with some white stock, and let them simmer gently for about an hour. When done, drain them upon a napkin, and dish up upon croutons of fried bread. Pour some good brown sauce, to which has been added a little chicken glaze, over the Celery, and serve. Celery Cordial. — Not much used, but very aromatic if well made. To 21b. of bruised Celery-seeds put lgall. of proof spirit and lgall. of syrup made from white sugar. Let it macerate for a month, clarify, and bottle for use.