BRAISED CELERY

I created this dish one Easter Sunday, with memories of a dish served at Mary Mac’s Tea Room in Atlanta still on my lips and recipes published in 1912 by S. Thomas Bivins on my mind. Bivins wrote a massive work of more than six hundred recipes, including his take on the stewed celery dish known in fine-dining restaurants as Celery Victor. I sautéed the celery in drippings left over from roasting our holiday leg of lamb and garnished the dish with sliced almonds, Monticello-style (one of the fancy upgrades under James Hemings’s watch). I also followed Edna Lewis’s lead: She steeped celery in beef broth and butter and served it sprinkled with chopped fresh parsley. Give the dish body, just as chef S. Thomas Bivins did, with beurre manié (butter and flour rubbed together)—a French technique you can use at the last minute to thicken most any dish. It’s a delicate alternative to the custom of smothering vegetables in a roux-based gravy.

Unbalanced

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

In a Dutch oven, heat the meat drippings or olive oil over medium heat. When hot, add the celery and onion and sauté 10 to 12 minutes, until softened. Add the chicken stock, red pepper flakes, salt, and nutmeg (if using). Simmer until the celery is tender, about 30 minutes.

Step 2

Meanwhile, on a work surface, use the side of a knife or your fingertips to rub together the butter and flour until well mixed, resembling a smooth, thick paste.

Step 3

Whisk the butter-flour mixture into the celery, whisking until completely dissolved. Stir in the cream. Simmer, uncovered, until thickened, 2 to 3 minutes more. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, and serve.