Recipes
Marcella Hazan’s Braised Celery with Tomatoes
Follow the renowned Italian cookbook author’s lead and simmer your stalks low and slow.
- Serves
4–6
- Time
2 hours
This sedano e pomodori brasati (braised celery and tomato) recipe, adapted from celebrated Italian cookbook author Marcella Hazan, produces results that are surprising from celery: creamy, sweet, luscious. The stalks’ stringy fibers, often removed before cooking, here act as a brace that helps the vegetable keep its shape through a long simmer.
Adapted from Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan. Copyright © 1992. Available from Alfred A. Knopf.
Featured in “The Soft Approach: In Praise of Soft-Cooked Vegetables” by Lesley Porcelli.
Ingredients
- 3 oz. pancetta, cut into 1-in. pieces
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 2 bunches celery (about 2 lb.), stalks trimmed and cut on the bias into 2-in. pieces
- ¾ cup whole peeled canned tomatoes with their juices, crushed by hand
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
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Instructions
Step 1
To a large pot over medium-high heat, add the pancetta and cook, stirring occasionally, until the fat renders, about 12 minutes. (If the pancetta begins to brown too fast, turn the heat to medium-low.) Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pancetta to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside to drain.
Step 2
Return the pot to medium-high heat and add the oil. When it’s hot and shimmering, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and light brown, about 10 minutes. Add the celery, tomatoes, and ¼ cup of water and season to taste with salt and black pepper. Cover the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the celery is very tender, about 1½ hours.
Step 3
Transfer the celery with its juices to a serving bowl and sprinkle with the reserved pancetta. Serve hot or at room temperature.
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