Recipe Corner: Arpie Vartanesian’s Celery Stew (Geragoor)

Yield: Makes about 24 kufteh balls.

Part 2: Stew and Sauce:

Ingredients for celery stew:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium bunch celery, thoroughly washed, and cut into 1-inch chunks

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

2 or 3 cloves garlic, minced

4-5 cups broth (chicken, beef or vegetable), add more, if needed

Salt and pepper to taste

Ingredients for sauce:

2 egg yolks, beaten

Juice of 1 lemon

Part 3: Celery Stew:

In a large pot, heat olive oil, and sauté celery, onions and garlic for 5 minutes. Add broth and the kufteh balls. Bring to a full boil, and then reduce heat to low. Partially cover pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until vegetables are tender and kufteh balls are cooked through.

Part 4: Directions for the sauce:

In a small bowl, mix together the egg yolks and lemon juice.

Spoon a little of the hot broth into the egg-lemon mixture, stirring briskly to prevent the egg from coagulating. (This process is called tempering.)

Slowly stir the tempered egg-lemon mixture into the large pot of celery stew. Cook gently for another 5 minutes. Serve immediately with Armenian bread or a crusty Italian or French bread.

Recipe Variation:

The celery stew can also be made with lamb neck bones with meat instead of the kufteh balls. This procedure should be done a day in advance.

The procedure follows.

Recipe Variation Procedure:

If using lamb neck bones, cook them in a pot with enough water to cover the bones. Bring to a boil, skimming-off any scum that rises to the surface. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, partially covered, for about 1 hour, or until the meat is tender. Remove neck bones from the broth. Allow to cool enough to handle so that the meat can be removed from the bones. Discard bones. Cover and store meat in the refrigerator until ready to add to celery stew.

Photos and recipe contributed by Robyn Kalajian: https://www.thearmeniankitchen.com/

Serves 6-8.