Wayne wrote:

> To the best of my memory, it was predominantly celery sticks that had been
> lightly braised (it was still somewhat crisp), dressed with some sort of
> vinaigrette that was very herbal and also included anchovy fillets. There
> may also have been some pimiento and mushroom, but I don't have a great
> memory of all the components except for the celery, vinaigrette, and
> anchovy.
>
> Has anyone had anything similar, or an idea as how to best to duplicate
> it?

From _The Gourmet Cookbook Volume I_:

Celery Victor

Wash hearts of celery without separating the stalks, halve them lengthwise,
and trim them to 4- or 5-inch lengths. Cook the celery in boiling beef stock
until it is tender. Drain it and put it in a shallow dish to cool. Pour
well-seasoned French dressing over the celery and chill it, Turing it
occasionally. When ready to serve, arrange the pieces on watercress or
shredded lettuce on a serving platter and sprinkle them liberally with black
pepper and chopped parsley. Lay a few thin strips of anchovy over each piece
of celery and garnish with quarters of tomato and ripe olives.

Asparagus may also be prepared in this way, cooking the stalks only until
they are barely tender.

also:

French Dressing

To 1/2 cup vinegar -- white, cider, or malt -- add 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4
teaspoon ground white pepper. Stir well with a fork and add 1 1/2 cups olive
oil. Beat the mixture with a fork until it is well combined.

For a thicker, creamier dressing, but an ice cube into the mixing bowl and
stir the dressing for a minute or two longer. [BOB'S NOTE: It seems like
this would water the dressing down. I'd try putting the vinegar into the
freezer until it just begins to freeze instead.]

If you Google for the words celery victor anchovy you'll come up with
similar recipes; this was just the one I knew.


Bob