Heads of celery, braised in good chicken stock, are a reminder of the elegant days of hotel dining rooms and railway dining cars. A flashback to times before chefs were ever talked about, let alone “celebrities,” and the head waiter rather than the kitchen ruled the roost. Braised celery is what I want to eat with roast turkey and the trimmings.

　　

Ingredients

enough for 4

　　celery – 2 heads

　　chicken stock – 3/4 cup (200ml)

　　butter – 4 tablespoons (50g)

　　garlic – a fat clove, peeled and flattened

　　Madeira – 3 tablespoons

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Trim the bunches of celery, leaving the stalks attached at the root end and cutting each head down to about 8 inches (20cm) in length; keep the trimmings for stock. Cut each head in half lengthwise.

　　

Step 2

Heat the stock. Melt the butter in a heatproof dish and gently fry the heads of celery over low heat without letting them color. Add the garlic and Madeira, then pour over the hot stock. Cover with a piece of buttered wax paper or a pan lid, then bake for forty-five to fifty minutes, until the celery is tender.

　　Tender