celery + tomato sauce
From the divine Marcella Hazan's 'Marcella Cucina'. It's worth quoting her introduction in full:
"The aroma of celery, a zephyr-like presence, has a background role in many preparations, from vegetable soups to risotti and stuffings to stews, but in this Roman sauce it gets an up front opportunity to display all its considerable charm. There is a greater consideration when using Spanish or Israeli celery, whose scent is usually more muted than that of Italian or English varieties. To achieve the aromatic intensity desirable when cooking with the former use leaves and sticks in equal proportion, whereas with the latter, if you use leaves at all, it need only be in a ratio of one part to four of sticks. If you'd like to do as the Romans do, serve the sauce over fine homemade fettucine."
That, my friends, is cookery writing.
serves four
45g butter
1 tbsp olive oil
75g onion, finely chopped
2 celery sticks, chopped
2 celery leaves, chopped (optional)
550g canned imported Italian plum tomatoes cut up, with their juice
salt
black pepper freshly ground
50g freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano
Put 25g of butter, the olive oil and the onion in a medium saucepan and turn the heat to medium. Cook, stirring from time to time, until the onion becomes a pale gold.
Add the celery sticks and leaves (if using) and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the tomatoes with their juice, salt and a liberal grinding of pepper, turn them over two or three times with the other ingredients, turn down the heat to low or medium low, and cook at a gentle simmer for about 15 or 20 minutes until the fat floats and begins to separate from the sauce.
Cook and drain your pasta, toss it immediately and thoroughly with the sauce, swirling into it the remaining butter and the grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.
"The aroma of celery, a zephyr-like presence, has a background role in many preparations, from vegetable soups to risotti and stuffings to stews, but in this Roman sauce it gets an up front opportunity to display all its considerable charm. There is a greater consideration when using Spanish or Israeli celery, whose scent is usually more muted than that of Italian or English varieties. To achieve the aromatic intensity desirable when cooking with the former use leaves and sticks in equal proportion, whereas with the latter, if you use leaves at all, it need only be in a ratio of one part to four of sticks. If you'd like to do as the Romans do, serve the sauce over fine homemade fettucine."
That, my friends, is cookery writing.
serves four
45g butter
1 tbsp olive oil
75g onion, finely chopped
2 celery sticks, chopped
2 celery leaves, chopped (optional)
550g canned imported Italian plum tomatoes cut up, with their juice
salt
black pepper freshly ground
50g freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano
Put 25g of butter, the olive oil and the onion in a medium saucepan and turn the heat to medium. Cook, stirring from time to time, until the onion becomes a pale gold.
Add the celery sticks and leaves (if using) and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the tomatoes with their juice, salt and a liberal grinding of pepper, turn them over two or three times with the other ingredients, turn down the heat to low or medium low, and cook at a gentle simmer for about 15 or 20 minutes until the fat floats and begins to separate from the sauce.
Cook and drain your pasta, toss it immediately and thoroughly with the sauce, swirling into it the remaining butter and the grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.