Celery

2 cups celery stalks, cut crosswise in 1-inch lengths 2 1/2 cups white sauce, as described in the oyster bisque 1/2 cup bread crumbs 1/2 cup grated cheese, such as Gruyere or Parmigiano-Reggiano 4 tablespoons butter Salt   1. Boil the celery in salted water until tender. Drain, and mix with white sauce and grated cheese. 2. Butter a dish with half of the butter. Add the celery/sauce/cheese mixture, cover it with bread crumbs, and dot it with the other half of the butter.

Chelsea, the two-time defending Premier League champion, banned three fans after they were caught throwing celery during the club's FA Cup replay win at Tottenham on March 19, the team's Web site said yesterday. Chelsea fans have been singing a sexually explicit song about celery and throwing the vegetable among themselves for about 20 years, but the club warned fans that throwing celery could result in a ban. The initial warning came after referee's match reports mentioned airborne celery at game.

If you've ever wondered why it's so tough to cut federal spending, consider the lowly broom snakeweed. Or the celery fusarium. Buried deep in this year's $1.5 trillion budget are $200,000 to fight the pesky snakeweed in New Mexico and $39,000 to combat the celery fungus in Michigan. On the immense scale of national priorities, these items don't register. They are blips among hundreds of similar home-town goodies that altogether barely exceed one-tenth of 1 percent of all federal spending.

I love the quirky limitations of regional foodways, I really do. But our lack of destinations for good whole crabs - just as the crustacean season is about to hit its peak - has gotten me steamed up. How is it that Philadelphia is so close to the Chesapeake Bay, yet so far from its love of hard-shell culture? Dainty crab cakes? We have plenty. But when it comes to the messy pursuit of whole critters piled high and all that they entail - the big dining halls filled with paper-topped tables, the joyous sound of mallets crunching down, the tangy celery spice of Old Bay seasoning the air - Philadelphia has far too few places to indulge.

In last Sunday's column on the city's long, sorry struggle to compose a proper Maine lobster roll, I applauded a hard-won victory: at the revived Oyster House, at 15th and Sansom, they'd finally pulled it off. It was cause for congratulation, indeed, and relief. The hot dog bun was top-split, buttered, and griddled in the manner of the New England classic. The lobster was big, succulent nuggets, not a stringy lobster salad. Best of all, it was the sole local example of the genuine item that I'd found in years.

8 medium stewing oysters, shucked 4 ounces oyster liquor 4 ounces clam juice 6 ounces heavy cream 1 teaspoon melted butter Salt, pepper and celery salt to taste Oyster crackers   1. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the oysters, oyster liquor, and clam juice and cook, stirring frequently, just until the oysters begin to curl at the edges. Do not allow it to boil. Transfer to a large serving bowl and cover to keep warm.

Pack five types of items in your kids' lunch boxes to keep them happy and healthy, according to Mara Fleishman of Whole Foods Market. 1. A sandwich, or something with protein: Organic almond butter and mixed-berry fruit spread on raisin bread. Organic crunchy peanut-butter-and-banana wheels rolled up on lavash (flatbread). Tuna or egg salad rolled in lavash with lettuce leaves. Raw veggies tossed with a favorite salad dressing in a pita pocket. Line pocket with lettuce to avoid sogginess.

Recipes for stews, stocks and sauces often call for a bouquet garni. A bouquet garni is a small bundle of herbs, tied together or bunched in a piece of cheesecloth and added to a dish to enhance its flavor. The bouquet garni - a bouquet of herbs used to garnish - is generally composed of several herbs of your choice, but it almost always includes parsley, thyme and bay leaf. Some cooks add peppercorns and celery leaves to those three. The reason for tying the herbs together, or placing them in a cheesecloth bag, is so you can easily remove them after the cooking is completed.

Thanks to some sprucing up and careful attention to its food, the St. Davids Inn has become a cozy place for an evening dinner. With a buffet dinner ($14.95 prix fixe) that changes each night, the Spencer room offers a comfortable experience in leisurely dining. Best of all, the food is quite nice. Although there's nothing terribly unfamiliar or startling about the dishes, several revel in rich sauces, and the variety is extensive enough to ensure that you won't go hungry no matter what your tastes.

First there was the "uncola. " Now there is the "unjunk. " A Doylestown company called FreshWorld is challenging consumers to "unjunk" themselves of the empty calories that come from sugar and fat in snack foods. By marketing fresh carrot and celery sticks in snack-size packages of two and three ounces, the company hopes to carve a niche in the $17 billion snack- food industry. The three-year-old company - a joint venture by DNA Plant Technology of Cinnaminson and Du Pont Co. of Wilmington - has VegiSnax in most Wawa convenience stores and in 800 McDonald's restaurants.

2 cups celery stalks, cut crosswise in 1-inch lengths 2 1/2 cups white sauce, as described in the oyster bisque 1/2 cup bread crumbs 1/2 cup grated cheese, such as Gruyere or Parmigiano-Reggiano 4 tablespoons butter Salt   1. Boil the celery in salted water until tender. Drain, and mix with white sauce and grated cheese. 2. Butter a dish with half of the butter. Add the celery/sauce/cheese mixture, cover it with bread crumbs, and dot it with the other half of the butter.

8 medium stewing oysters, shucked 4 ounces oyster liquor 4 ounces clam juice 6 ounces heavy cream 1 teaspoon melted butter Salt, pepper and celery salt to taste Oyster crackers   1. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the oysters, oyster liquor, and clam juice and cook, stirring frequently, just until the oysters begin to curl at the edges. Do not allow it to boil. Transfer to a large serving bowl and cover to keep warm.

Beachside chef Nick LoBianco and family have made the move permanent out of Collingswood and into their third space at the Jersey Shore. This one is a spacious and elegant gray Margate spot where trademark favorites - braised short rib; grilled romaine - now come with slightly lower entree prices (mid-$20s) plus casual options such as meatball sliders and fresh cod fish and chips. An even better bargain, is the beach-side delivery of LoBianco's weekend lunches: a fantastic "BA" burger (with chuck from N.Y.C.'s La Frieda)

In last Sunday's column on the city's long, sorry struggle to compose a proper Maine lobster roll, I applauded a hard-won victory: at the revived Oyster House, at 15th and Sansom, they'd finally pulled it off. It was cause for congratulation, indeed, and relief. The hot dog bun was top-split, buttered, and griddled in the manner of the New England classic. The lobster was big, succulent nuggets, not a stringy lobster salad. Best of all, it was the sole local example of the genuine item that I'd found in years.

I love the quirky limitations of regional foodways, I really do. But our lack of destinations for good whole crabs - just as the crustacean season is about to hit its peak - has gotten me steamed up. How is it that Philadelphia is so close to the Chesapeake Bay, yet so far from its love of hard-shell culture? Dainty crab cakes? We have plenty. But when it comes to the messy pursuit of whole critters piled high and all that they entail - the big dining halls filled with paper-topped tables, the joyous sound of mallets crunching down, the tangy celery spice of Old Bay seasoning the air - Philadelphia has far too few places to indulge.

This was the year of the potato. In the wake of rising food prices around the world, the United Nations proclaimed the spud one super-nutritious value. To hammer the point home, the U.S. Potato Board has begun the "Potatoes: Goodness Unearthed" campaign to remind consumers that despite the contempt of the Atkins era for the starchy vegetable, a medium spud has only 110 calories, is naturally fat-free, high in vitamin C and - when eaten with the skin on - packs more potassium than a banana.

Makes 8 to 10 servings 1. A day ahead, put the ribs in a large pan. Add the wine, vinegar, carrots, onions, garlic, fenugreek, pepper and parsley. Turn ribs to coat; marinate 24 hours, turning once. 2. Eight hours before serving, heat oil to cover in an ovenproof skillet. Drain the ribs (reserving marinade), pat dry, season liberally with kosher salt. Sear in oil to brown. 3. Remove ribs from pan. Strain and add the vegetables and aromatics from the marinade; caramelize slowly on low heat (up to 1/2 hour)

Pack five types of items in your kids' lunch boxes to keep them happy and healthy, according to Mara Fleishman of Whole Foods Market. 1. A sandwich, or something with protein: Organic almond butter and mixed-berry fruit spread on raisin bread. Organic crunchy peanut-butter-and-banana wheels rolled up on lavash (flatbread). Tuna or egg salad rolled in lavash with lettuce leaves. Raw veggies tossed with a favorite salad dressing in a pita pocket. Line pocket with lettuce to avoid sogginess.

Chelsea, the two-time defending Premier League champion, banned three fans after they were caught throwing celery during the club's FA Cup replay win at Tottenham on March 19, the team's Web site said yesterday. Chelsea fans have been singing a sexually explicit song about celery and throwing the vegetable among themselves for about 20 years, but the club warned fans that throwing celery could result in a ban. The initial warning came after referee's match reports mentioned airborne celery at game.

Several times in our lives, we must delve deep into dusty piles of yellowed paper, strange bric-a-brac, and the accumulated junk of our past. Such excavations are necessary when we move, when someone we love dies, and when we are planning that periodic self-flagellation known as a yard sale. Thankfully, I have not moved in 16 years. After my father's death, I did have to help clean out his house, which was an emotional and physical challenge. But this time, I am bringing the task upon myself.