Best Baked Celery And Onions With Herbs Recipes

CLASSIC HERB STUFFING

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Melt butter in large skillet on medium heat. Add celery and onion; cook and stir 5 minutes. Stir in thyme, poultry seasoning, seasoned salt and pepper.
• 2. Place bread cubes in large bowl. Add celery mixture and broth; toss gently until well mixed. Spoon into lightly greased 13x9-inch baking dish.
• 3. Bake 35 minutes or until heated through and lightly browned.

JUICY HERB-ROASTED TURKEY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. Chop 8 sage leaves and leaves from 2 thyme sprigs. In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup oil, garlic, salt and pepper with chopped herbs. With fingers, carefully loosen skin from turkey breast; rub mixture under skin. Secure skin to underside of breast with toothpicks., Cut onions into wedges and the celery, carrots and parsnips into 2-in. pieces. Place about a fifth of the onions, celery and carrots in the turkey cavity; add 4 sage sprigs and remaining 4 thyme sprigs to cavity. Arrange remaining vegetables evenly in a roasting pan. Place turkey, breast side up, over vegetables. Brush with remaining 1/4 cup oil., Bake, uncovered, until a thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh reads 170°-175°, 3 to 3-1/2 hours. Cover loosely with foil if turkey browns too quickly. Cover and let stand 20 minutes before carving. Discard vegetables. If desired, use drippings to make gravy.

CREAMY CELERY AND ONION CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Clean the celery, washing off all dirt. Chop into desired size. I suggest cutting the ribs into approximately 1 inch pieces (I cut on the diagonal to try to make it look fancier). Include the ribs and as much of the leafy greens as you can--they're tasty too! (My cleaning approach for a particularly muddy head of celery was to chop first, discarding the dried out tops, dunk it all in a bowl of cold water and swish around to get the dirt to fall to the bottom, and then scoop out the celery pieces into a salad spinner to remove excess water.).
• In a medium to large size saucepan on the stove top, saute the celery (you may need to work in two to three batches depending on your pan size and amount of celery) in the 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil. (If you saute in batches, only use a total of 1 tbsp oil--e.g. if you saute in two batches use about 1/2 tbsp per batch.) When sauteing, try to develop a little of the browning/carmelization that will give the dish extra flavor by not stirring constantly. When the celery has cooked to your desired done-ness (e.g., I like mine lightly sauteed and still a little crispy), lightly salt and transfer to a 8 x 8 square glass baking dish. Repeat until all celery is sauteed and in the baking dish.
• (Assuming you have not burned the celery in the pot) Using the same hot pot you just emptied of the last batch of sauteed celery, over medium heat add another 1 tbsp of olive oil and the diced onion. Saute for a few minutes to your desired done-ness. Add the 1 1/2 tbsp butter and allow to thoroughly melt, stirring in to the onions. Once melted, add the 1 1/2 tbsp flour and stir well. Keep stirring for a few minutes--not allowing to burn--as the roux comes together. (Just keep it moving in the pan, and take it off the heat if you think it is starting to burn.).
• Slowly add small amount of the milk, stirring well after each addition to thoroughly incorporate. Add the nutmeg and taste for seasoning. You'll probably need to add more salt, maybe even a few tablespoons (depending on the type of salt you use). Keep stirring the mixture over medium heat until you get the seasonings right and the mixture comes just up to a boil and thickens. Turn off the heat.
• Mix the melted butter with the bread crumbs.
• Add the sauteed celery back in and stir to coat the celery with the creamy mixture. Transfer the creamy celery mixture back to the baking dish. Top with the butter/bread crumb mixture and bake (or broil if you pan can handle it) in the oven just to brown the bread crumbs.
• Variations: You could add or substitute other vegetables in this dish, e.g., peas, carrots, potatoes, brussel sprouts, cubed squash, asparagus, leafy greens. You could also add herbs and spices to your liking. You could add shredded cheese to the roux once it comes together to give it a cheesier flavor. You can omit the bread crumb topping--I often do.

BAKED CELERY AND ONIONS WITH HERBS

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a heavy 12 inch skillet over moderate heat.
• Add the celery and saute, stirring occasionally for 3 minutes or until crisp tender.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and chicken broth until smooth and add to the skillet.
• Bring to a boil, stirring.
• Reduce the heat to moderately low.
• Simmer, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes.
• Add marjoram, thyme, salt, pepper and parsley.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F
• Scatter the onion rings over the bottom of a buttered 12x8x2-inch baking dish.
• Spoon the celery mixture over them and cover tightly with aluminum foil.
• At this point the casserole can be cooled to room temperature and kept in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
• Bake, covered for 50 to 55 minutes.

FARMHOUSE HERBED STUFFING

Steps:

• In 12-inch, heavy skillet over moderate heat, heat butter until hot but not smoking. Stir in onion and celery, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, 15 to 20 minutes. (Vegetables can be prepared up to 1 day ahead and refrigerated. Reheat before continuing: In 12-inch, heavy skillet over moderately high heat, sauté, stirring often, until heated through, about 5 minutes.)
• Transfer to large bowl and add stuffing cubes, parsley, celery salt, sage, rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper. Stir in 1¼ cups hot stock.
• If using to stuff turkey:
• Use immediately to fill cavities and spread remainder in baking dish as directed in Classic Roast Turkey recipe .
• If baking in a casserole pan:
• Preheat oven to 350°F and butter 3-quart casserole or 9-by 13-inch baking dish. Transfer stuffing to dish and drizzle with ½ cup hot stock (stuffing baked outside of the turkey won't be soaked in the turkey's juices, so extra stock is drizzled on top to keep it moist). Cover with aluminum foil and bake until heated through, about 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until top is slightly crisp and golden, about 10 minutes longer. Serve immediately.
• Variations:
• Sausage and Sage Stuffing: In large, heavy skillet over moderate heat, sauté 1 pound bulk pork sausage, breaking up pieces with spoon, until meat shows no sign of pink, about 10 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer to large bowl. Proceed with recipe, adding ingredients to bowl with sausage and substituting 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage for dried rosemary and sage.
• Dried Apricot and Pecan Stuffing: Dried fruit are better than fresh in stuffing because the latter get soggy with long baking. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread 1½ cups (6 ounces) pecans on rimmed baking sheet and toast, stirring occasionally, until browned and fragrant, about 10 minutes. Cool and coarsely chop. In medium bowl, combine 1½ cups diced dried apricots and hot water to cover. Soak until apricots plump, about 30 minutes, then drain well. Proceed with recipe, tossing apricots and pecans with other ingredients in large bowl.
• Test-Kitchen Tips: Warm, moist stuffing is an optimal environment for bacteria such as salmonella or E. coli to multiply, so it's important to follow safe procedures. Be sure to make the stuffing at the last minute so it can go into the bird warm. This helps it move above the "danger zone" (the optimal temperature range for bacteria growth) more quickly during roasting. Stuffing baked outside of the turkey can be spread in the baking dish and refrigerated for a few hours while the turkey roasts, but it should be prepared on the same day as baking.