OK, I know none of you are going to believe me when I tell you that this simple celery preparation has become one of my new favorite veggie side dishes. After all, I can hardly believe it myself! Celery?!?! But I am here to tell you, when braised, celery is absolutely amazing. And no veggie dish could be easier to prepare than this incredible recipe from Alton Brown.

Now I have always considered celery a core component that must at all times reside in my veggie drawer. After all, it is one of the three ingredients that constitute mirepoix! But until I made Celery Salad (on this site) a few years ago, I never thought of it as a star ingredient. But last evening, celery once again revealed itself as a latent super hero!

Now if truth be told, the braised celery almost didn’t make it to the dinner table. I of course had to taste test it before I served it to Mr. C. But one taste led to another, and I finally had to leave the kitchen before I devoured the entire 4 stalks. (BTW – I will never make just half a recipe again.)

So next time you look in your veggie drawer in fervent hope of finding the perfect vegetable for your evening meal, don’t exclude that lowly bunch of celery. You are just not going to believe how fabulous celery tastes all dressed up with butter and beef broth. But then, what doesn’t taste amazing when cooked in butter and beef broth? Just try it! You can thank me later.

• 8 stalks celery – rinsed, trimmed, and dried (plus leaves chopped and reserved)
• 1 T. unsalted butter
• tiny pinch kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• ½ c. water*
• ½ tsp. Better Than Bouillon Beef Base*

Slice prepared celery stalks into 1-inch pieces on the bias.

Melt the butter in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the celery, salt, and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes or until just beginning to soften. Add the water and beef base; stir to combine. Cover the pan and reduce the heat to low. Cook until the celery is tender but not mushy, approximately 5 minutes. Uncover and allow the celery to continue to slowly cook for an additional 5 minutes or until the liquid has been reduced to a glaze. Serve immediately garnished with the reserved leaves.

*or good beef broth

Note: I never throw celery leaves away. (Unless of course they’re yucky.) I use them in almost every dish that contains cooked or uncooked celery.