Recipe - Stuffed Celery

1 Celery bunch; large
salt
1 sl Bread; stale
1 pound Ground beef; lean
3 Eggs
2 tablespoon Parsley, Italian;fresh
chopped
black pepper,freshly ground
One half cup Flour; unbleached
Olive oil
1 Garlic clove;minced
1 One half cup Tomatoes; peeled OR
1 One half cup Tomatoes;canned

Place bread, covered by water in a a small saucepan and let it soak for 5
minutes. Drain excess water, place saucepan over high heat and cook,
stirring till bread has become a pap, the consistency of cooked cereal.
Separate celery stalks and remove stringy fibers. Cut into 36 2 One half inch
pieces. Place in a saucepan with 1 tsp salt. Add water to cover, bring to a
boil and cook, covered for 25 to 30 minutes. Drain and let cool.
Place cooked bread and meat in a bowl. Add 1 egg, 1 Tbsp parsley, 1 tsp
salt and1/8 tsp pepper. Mix well to combine. Divide into 18 small balls.
Place 1 ball between two pieces of celery and press so that they hold
together. Roll in flour and lay on a piece of wax paper. Continue until all
the meat and celery have been used.
Beat the remaining eggs with a pinch of salt. Heat One half cup oil in a frying
pan; dip stuffed celery in beaten eggs and fry until golden on all sides.
Place in a large skillet in a single layer. Add garlic, tomatoes, 3 Tbsp
oil, remaining parsley and small amounts of salt and pepper. Place over
medium heat and cook, covered for 25 to 30 minutes. SERVES: 46 Note: You
may prepare stuffed celery a day ahead of time. Reheat a moment before
serving, it actually tastes better than when served immediately after
cooking.

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini