Sedani ripieni alla pratese

Sedani ripieni alla pratese is a traditional dish from Prato in Tuscany. Wide pieces of celery are stuffed with minced veal, mortadella and Parmesan, coated in flour and egg, fried until golden brown and then gently cooked in ragù.

Serves: 4 people
Preparation: approximately 45 minutes
Cooking: approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes
Total time: approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes

Ingredients

For the stuffed celery

• 2 large heads of celery, approximately 1.5–1.8 kg in total and enough for 24 wide pieces approximately 8–10 cm long
• 300 g minced veal
• 150 g mortadella
• 50 g Parmesan
• 2 medium eggs
• 1 tablespoon flat-leaf parsley
• ½ clove of garlic
• 1 pinch of nutmeg
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper

For the ragù

• 250 g minced beef
• 1 small onion
• 1 small carrot
• 1 celery stalk, from the heads listed above
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon tomato purée
• 100 ml dry red wine
• 400 g passata
• 100–150 ml water, plus extra if needed
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper

For frying

• approximately 75 g flour
• 3 medium eggs
• mild olive oil, enough for a layer approximately 2 cm deep

Preparation

1. Clean the celery
   Separate the stalks from the heads and remove the leaves and tough strings. Cut 24 pieces approximately 8–10 cm long from the wide stalks. Match the pieces in pairs of similar width so that you can make 12 parcels. Set one stalk aside for the ragù.
2. Chop the vegetables for the ragù
   Peel the onion and carrot. Very finely chop the onion, carrot and reserved celery stalk.
3. Prepare the filling ingredients
   Very finely chop the mortadella. Finely chop the parsley and garlic. Finely grate the Parmesan.

Method

1. Make the base of the ragù
   Heat the olive oil in a wide casserole over a low to medium heat. Add the onion, carrot and celery and cook for approximately 10 minutes until softened without taking on much colour. Stir regularly.
2. Brown the mince
   Add the minced beef and increase the heat slightly. Cook for approximately 8–10 minutes, breaking it up, until lightly browned. Add the tomato purée and cook for approximately 1 minute.
3. Simmer the ragù
   Pour in the red wine and let most of it evaporate. Add the passata and 100–150 ml water. Season lightly with salt and black pepper. Simmer the ragù gently over a low heat for 45–60 minutes with the lid slightly ajar. Stir occasionally and add a splash of water if the sauce becomes too thick.
4. Parboil the celery
   Meanwhile, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Cook the celery pieces for approximately 8 minutes, until pliable but still firm enough to be stuffed. Drain well and spread them out on a clean tea towel. Leave to cool and pat dry thoroughly.
5. Make the filling
   Mix the minced veal with the finely chopped mortadella, Parmesan, 2 eggs, parsley, garlic and nutmeg. Season with black pepper and a little salt, as the mortadella and Parmesan are already salty. Mix briefly until the filling holds together.
6. Stuff the celery
   Divide the filling between the hollow sides of 12 celery pieces. Place a matching piece on top of each one, with the hollow sides facing each other. Gently press the parcels together and smooth any protruding filling along the sides.
7. Coat the parcels in flour and egg
   Put the flour in a shallow bowl. Beat the 3 eggs in a second bowl. Carefully coat each parcel in flour and shake off the excess. Then coat it all over in the beaten egg.
8. Fry the celery
   Heat a layer of mild olive oil approximately 2 cm deep in a large frying pan to approximately 170 °C. Fry the parcels in batches until golden brown all over. Allow approximately 5–7 minutes per batch, depending on their thickness. Turn them carefully using two spoons or a pair of tongs. Drain briefly on kitchen paper.
9. Cook the parcels in the ragù
   Make sure the ragù is in a wide casserole that allows the parcels to sit alongside each other as much as possible. Add a little water if needed; the sauce should be loose enough for braising. Place the fried parcels in the ragù and spoon some sauce over the top.
10. Gently braise the celery
    Cover the pan and cook the parcels over a very low heat for approximately 35–45 minutes. The celery should be completely tender and the meat filling fully cooked in the centre. Gently shake the pan occasionally and add a splash of water if the ragù becomes too dry.
11. Serve the sedani ripieni
    Divide the stuffed celery and ragù between warm plates. Serve as a main course, with bread to soak up the sauce if desired.

Tip

Save the narrower inner stalks and other usable celery trimmings for soup, stock or sauce.