Creamed Celery

A short, unfussy side dish that depends almost entirely on two things: not overcooking the celery, and making the sauce thick enough to coat rather than pool.

• The hinge: stop the celery earlyCelery goes stringy and grey-flavoured if boiled past tenderness. Eight to twelve minutes in salted water is usually enough for 2-inch lengths of outer ribs; test with a knife tip and drain the moment it gives with slight resistance.
• What "rich white sauce" meant"Rich" generally signals more butter, and often a little cream, than a plain white sauce. A medium sauce of roughly 3 tablespoons butter, 3 tablespoons flour and 1 1/2 cups milk, with cream stirred in at the end, suits this dish. A thin sauce will slide off the celery and dilute in the water it continues to give up.
• Drain thoroughlyCelery holds a surprising amount of water. Let it sit in the colander a minute or two, or return it to the dry pan over low heat briefly, or the sauce will loosen on the plate.
• Quantity and yieldNo amounts are given. One large head of celery, trimmed, with the sauce quantity above, serves four to six as a vegetable side.
• Use the whole headWhich ribs -- Outer ribs work well here; save the tender heart and leaves for salad or stock. Peeling the coarse strings from the outermost ribs with a vegetable peeler improves the texture.
• Seasoning and finishingThe recipe calls simply for pepper and salt; white pepper will keep the appearance clean if you would rather avoid dark flecks. A grating of nutmeg, or the celery cooking water used to replace part of the milk, both add depth without breaking the style.
• If you want it brownedThe dish as written is a stovetop side. To serve it as a gratin, turn it into a buttered dish, cover with buttered crumbs and bake at 400F until the top colours, about 15 minutes.