Chicken and Celery Sandwiches

A filling of three ingredients, which means the texture of the chop and the seasoning are the whole dish. Both are left to the cook here.

• The meat chopperThe "finest knife" of a hand-cranked grinder produces a fine, slightly pasty mince rather than shreds. A food processor pulsed briefly gets close, but it turns to paste in seconds; chopping the chicken by hand to a fine dice is more reliable.
• Celery cut very fineThis is the hinge. Celery cut coarsely will slide out of the sandwich and make it crunch unpleasantly against the soft mince. Take the inner ribs, strip the strings, and cut across into pieces no larger than a grain of rice.
• Season itThe original assumes salt and pepper are understood. Without at least a good pinch of salt and a little lemon juice, cold chicken with mayonnaise tastes flat.
• Wring out the celeryCelery gives up water as it sits. Salt the chopped celery lightly, let it stand ten minutes, then press it dry in a towel before mixing, or the sandwiches will be soggy within the hour.
• MayonnaiseFour tablespoons to two cups of solids is a light binding, not a salad dressing. Period mayonnaise was made fresh with raw yolk; commercial jarred mayonnaise, made with pasteurized egg, behaves the same here and keeps far better.
• Rounds of white breadCut with a 2-inch cutter from thin-sliced firm white bread. Butter the bread before spreading, as directed, and butter right to the edge; the fat is what keeps the moisture out of the crumb.
• Yield and holdingAbout a cup and a half of filling, enough for roughly 18 to 20 small rounds. Assemble within a few hours, cover with a damp towel under plastic, and refrigerate; the chicken should not sit at room temperature.