Braised Celery Hearts With Tomato And Olives Recipes

BRAISED CHICKEN WITH POTATOES, OLIVES, AND LEMON

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Season chicken with salt. Heat a large, heavy ovenproof skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium-high heat. Swirl in oil. Cook chicken, skin side down, until browned, about 5 minutes. Flip chicken, and push to side of skillet. Add 1 cup stock and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add potatoes to liquid. Bring to a boil. Add garlic, olives, lemon wedges, and thyme to liquid. Return to a boil.
• Transfer skillet to oven. Roast, stirring potatoes halfway through, until potatoes are tender and chicken is cooked through, about 30 minutes.
• Return skillet to stove. Mix cornstarch with remaining 1/4 cup stock, and stir into pan. Bring to a boil to thicken sauce. Serve immediately.

BRAISED CELERY HEARTS

Steps:

• 1. Halve the celery hearts through the root. Put a large frying pan or saucepan (wide enough to hold all the celery) over a medium heat and add the olive oil and butter. When the butter has started to sizzle, lay the celery hearts in the pan, cut-side down, and fry for around 10-15 minutes, until nicely browned; transfer to a plate. Add the lardons to the pan, fry for a few minutes, then return the celery hearts to the pan, uncooked-side down. Continue to fry for about 5 minutes, until the lardons are golden, then turn the heat down to low. Boil the kettle. 2. Add the garlic and tomatoes, stir to coat in the juices and season. Pour enough boiling water into the pan to come halfway up the celery halves. Bring to a gentle simmer, then cover with a lid and cook for 20-25 minutes, or until the celery is tender. 3. When the celery is cooked, remove the lid and turn the heat up a little; let the liquid simmer and reduce until there is only around 1cm left in the bottom (this will take 15 minutes or so). Transfer the celery hearts to a platter, stir the vinegar into the pan juices, then spoon them over the hearts. Sprinkle over the chopped parsley and finish with shavings of pecorino. Delicious enjoyed with crusty bread to mop up the juices.

BRAISED CELERY HEARTS WITH TOMATO AND OLIVES

Steps:

• Leaving root ends intact, strip off outer branches, leaving about 2 pounds tender, leafy inner stalks. Cut into 8-inch lengths . Quarter lengthwise, place in large mixing bowl, toss with salt, set aside.
• Put oven racks in top position, preheat broiler. Place tomatoes in pie plate, drizzle with one tablespoon oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Broil, stirring occasionally, until surface moisture evaporates and tomatoes are charred, about 10 minutes. Set aside.
• Warm 2 tablespoons olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onions, saute until soft and golden, stirring frequently, about 7 mintues. Transfer onions to shallow 3-quart gratin dish. Warm 3 tablespoons olive oil in same skillet over medium heat. Place celery flat side down in a singer layer, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and sear without moving, until celery is golden brown on one side, about 4 minutes. Turn hearts with tongs and brown second side. Transfer celery to dish with onions, arrange snugly. Add 3 tablespoons more olive oil to skillet, brown remaining celery. Arrange in gratin dish. (Celery should be in a single layer.) Slide tomatoes over celery and onions. Add wine and stock to gratin dish, drizzle vegetables with remaining oil. Shake dish gently to settle vegetables. Position black olives in low spots so they don't dry out.
• Adjust oven racks to middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Set gratin dish over low flame and bring to a simmer. Taste liquid and season with salt, if necessary, or a pinch of sugar if acidic. Shake pan to distribute. Cover with foil, transfer to oven and bake until celery is tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove foil, increase oven temperature to 475 degrees, bake until tips of vegetables are brown, 5 to 10 minutes. Garnish with julienned anchovy fillets and toasted breadcrumbs, if desired.