Pureed Celery

__________________________________________________

            FOOD FUNNY
__________________________________________________

Here's one from reader Mauricio David Ferman's army days:

In a joint manoeuvre with US, Russian and French battalions, three
soldiers, each from one of the forces were sharing a meal, and,
of course, the discussion was the horrible army food. The Russian
started, "We get 2000 calories of food a day." The Frenchman said,
"We get 4000 calories a day." The American then boasted, "We
get 8000 calories a day." The Russian jumped up and yelled, "LIAR!"
The American asked, "Why do you think I'm lying?" The Russian
replied angrily, "Who can eat 8000 calories of cabbage soup a day?"

__________________________________________________

            TODAY'S RECIPE
__________________________________________________

All recipes this week are adapted from "The Microwave Gourmet"
by Barbara Kafka, available from The Cookbook
Store at http://www.wwrecipes.com/cookbooks.htm

I've said it before, I'm sure I'll say it again in the future, so I might
as well say it right now: celery is possibly the must under-utilized
of all vegetables. Aside from adding small amounts to soups and
stews for flavoring (a la French mirepoix), many people have never
cooked it, preferring to add it raw to salads and... well, that's about
it. If you'll try this recipe I'm sure you'll agree that celery has much
more to offer than just its crunchy texture.

Pureed Celery

1 lb (450 g) celery with its leaves, thinly sliced
1 baking potato, peeled, cooked, and riced or mashed
1/2 cup (125 ml) heavy cream
3 Tbs (45 ml) butter
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Place the celery and 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of water in a microwave-
safe plastic bag and cook on 100% power until tender, 5 to 6 minutes.
Transfer to an electric food processor, add the remaining ingredients,
and process until smooth. Serves 4 to 6.
Received on Wed May 31 10:35:21 2006