Part 19 (1/2)

(Sedano al sugo)

Select nine or ten heads, neither too hard nor too soft, and cut them about four inches from the root. Remove the green and hard branches and trim the root, cutting the latter to a point. Scald the celery, after was.h.i.+ng well, in salted boiling water. Ten minutes will be sufficient.

Dip in cold water, open well the leaves and wash again carefully. Drain and make bunches of two or three heads each that you will put in a saucepan with a pint of broth or water and half a cup of good fat, onion and carrot chopped, salt and pepper. Cover and let it simmer for about two hour. Then remove the celery, drain and serve.

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SAUCE FOR CELERY AU JUS

(Salsa per sedani al sugo)

The celery, prepared as above, are seasoned with the following sauce: Make a =roux= melting a piece of b.u.t.ter and browning an equal weight of flour; stir for about three minutes on the fire, after which thin the roux with a little brown stock or with bouillon cubes diluted in water.

Continue stirring and reduce the sauce. Then rub through a sieve, pour over the celery and serve very hot.

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FRIED CELERY

(Sedani fritti)

This is a convenient way to prepare left-over celery that is still too good to be thrown away.

Clean the left-over celery removing as best you can the sauce in which they were served, dip in frying paste (flour and egg) fry and serve with lemon.

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PUReE OF CELERY

(Macco di sedani)

Take some big roots of celery, prepare as usual and wash in running water. Boil in salted water, crush and rub through a sieve. Put in a saucepan this puree, with a piece of b.u.t.ter, salt, flour and a little cream or milk. The milk may be subst.i.tuted with good soup stock or brown stock. Just before serving add a little powdered sugar.

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STEW

(Stufato)

The Italian =stufato= is somewhat different from the stewed meat that is known under the name of ”Irish stew”. It corresponds to the French =daube= and is prepared in Italy in many different ways.

An excellent =stufato= can be made in the following way: Chop fine two bunches of parsley, a small carrot, half a medium sized onion, a little piece of scallion and two bay-leaves. Brown with a good piece of b.u.t.ter in a saucepan in which one and a half tablespoonful of oil have been previously poured.

The meat must have been prepared beforehand, that is to say washed, trimmed and larded. When half cooked, season moderately with salt and pepper. If necessary, moisten with broth or water. During the cooking the saucepan must be covered with its cover and with a sheet of paper greased with fat or oil. The stufato will be ready after about three hours' cooking on a low fire.

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