A variation of Sautéed Celery, this adds silky ribbons of leeks and a little white wine for depth and contrast to the crunch of the celery. Use scissors when trimming the celery leaves for ease. You have to use good butter for this dish as that is really all there is for the sauce.
INGREDIENTS:
1 head celery 2 leeks, white and palest green parts 6-8 tablespoons butter ½ cup dry white wine such as chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, verdelho, etc. 1/8th teaspoon or less fresh thyme leaves salt and pepper to tasteMETHOD:
Cut the leeks into 2½ inch long sections. Split these down the length and cut into ¼ inch wide strips and rinse well, then dry on paper towels.
Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. (The pan should be just large enough to hold the celery without too much piling up on each other.) When the pan is hot, add 2 tablespoons of butter. When it stops foaming, add the leeks and toss to coat with the butter. Gently sauté the leeks, being sure they do not color. If needed, add another tablespoon of butter. Cook the leeks until they are very tender.
While the leeks cook, separate the large stalks from the celery head, saving the heart for something else. Trim the leaves and reserve, and wash the celery well, then drain. Trim the ends off the stalks, then cut away any “joints” on the stalks near the tops. I find these to be bitter and tough. Cut each stalk into 2½ x ½ inch batons.
When the leeks are soft and translucent, add the wine. Cook the leeks in the wine, reducing the wine until it is almost gone. Add 2 more tablespoons of butter and melt it. When it is melted, add the thyme leaves and the celery, tossing to coat. If it seems more butter is needed for a good coating, add a little more butter.
Reduce the heat to medium and gently sauté the celery, tossing and turning it occasionally in the butter, until it is just tender, taking care that the leeks do not color or burn. The tip of a knife should just slip into the celery without much resistance.
When the celery is tender, add the reserved celery leaves and season with salt and pepper. Cook just until the leaves are warm, and serve.
Chef’s Notes:
If you happen to have lovage growing in your yard, you could add some of that to the dish as lovage has a flavor similar to celery and would add a layer of flavor. This dish would be a nice foil to sautéed scallops or shrimp, or a roast chicken. A pleasant variation would be to cut carrots lengthwise into thin strips (use a Ben-Riner mandolin or sturdy vegetable peeler.) and cut them to match the leeks and sauté them with the leeks. This would add a pleasing sweetness as a foil to the celery and would be lovely to look at on the plate.
Serves: 4
Source: Chef Andrew E Cohen
If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it!
