Apio Con Queso
"Celery With Cheese"
From the treasured pages of Cuaderno de Recetas de Cocina de Hortensia Volante
Written by Hortensia Volante
Apio Con Queso
"Cocer en agua hojas de apio tiernas, colocarlas en una tortera engrasada con mantequilla; echar por encima salsa blanca compuesta con queso Gruyere y parmesano rallado; cubrirlo por encima con queso y dejarlo 10 minutos en el horno."
English Translation
"Boil tender celery leaves in water, place them in a buttered baking dish; pour over them a white sauce made with Gruyere cheese and grated Parmesan; cover the top with cheese and bake for 10 minutes."
Note on the Original Text
The recipe is written in the pragmatic shorthand typical of early 1900s manuscript cookbooks. It's scant on precise measurements—a mark of an era when cooks relied on intuition, experience, and well-trained eyes. Instructions are unfussy, expecting the cook to fill in gaps, such as the making of salsa blanca (bechamel) or the quantities of cheese, both left to personal judgment. Spanish spelling conventions from this period are largely recognizable today, though 'tortera' (baking dish) may be less familiar outside of historical Spanish culinary texts.
Title
Cuaderno de Recetas de Cocina de Hortensia Volante (1902)
You can also click the book image above to peruse the original tome
Writer
Hortensia Volante
Era
1902
Publisher
Unknown
Background
A charming early 20th-century manuscript brimming with delectable recipes, from croquetas to guiso de caracoles, lending a savory glimpse into the flavors of the era.
Kindly made available by
University of Texas at San Antonio
This recipe comes from the 'Cuaderno de Recetas de Cocina', a handwritten cookbook compiled by Hortensia Volante in 1902. The early 20th century in Latin America was a period of culinary curiosity, with French influences seeping into local kitchens—a trend evident here in the use of bechamel and Gruyère cheese. Dishes like 'Apio con queso' speak to both resourcefulness and refinement, elevating humble celery with continental technique and flavors. This recipe offers a window into a time when urban homemakers were experimenting with European methods yet still relied on practical, local produce.
At the turn of the century, cooks would have used a deep pot to boil the celery leaves, a sturdy metal saucepan for preparing the white sauce over a wood or coal stove, and a heavy earthenware or metal tortera (baking dish). The buttering would be done with a simple pastry brush or even fingers, and grating cheeses often involved a hand-cranked or rudimentary box grater. The dish would be finished with a quick bake in a moderate oven, likely fueled by wood or coal, requiring attentive monitoring.
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Servings
4
We've done our best to adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, but some details may still need refinement. We warmly welcome feedback from fellow cooks and culinary historians — your insights support the entire community!
Ingredients
- 10.5oz tender celery leaves (substitute: inner celery stalks and leaves if needed)
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter (plus extra for greasing)
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 2/3 cups whole milk
- 2.1oz Gruyère cheese, grated (substitute Emmental if Gruyère is unavailable)
- 2.8oz Parmesan cheese, grated (divided; 1.4oz for sauce, 1.4oz for topping)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Begin by cooking about 10.5 ounces of tender celery leaves in boiling water until soft, then drain well.
- Butter a baking dish and arange the cooked celery leaves in an even layer.
- For the sauce, prepare a white sauce: melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan, stir in 1/3 cup of flour, and gradually whisk in 1 2/3 cups of whole milk until smooth.
- Once thickened, add 2.1 ounces of grated Gruyère cheese and 1.4 ounces of grated Parmesan, stirring until the cheeses melt into the sauce.
- Pour this cheesy bechamel over the celery in the dish, then sprinkle another 1.4 ounces of grated cheese on top.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 350°F for about 10 minuts, or until golden and bubbling.
Estimated Calories
240 per serving
Cooking Estimates
It takes about 10 minutes to cook the celery leaves and another 10 minutes to bake the dish. You will need around 15 minutes to prepare the ingredients, cook the celery, and assemble everything. Each serving has about 240 calories. This recipe makes 4 servings.
As noted above, we have made our best effort to translate and adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, taking into account ingredients nowadays, cooking techniques, measurements, and so on. However, historical recipes often contain assumptions that require interpretation.
We'd love for anyone to help improve these adaptations. Community contributions are highly welcome. If you have suggestions, corrections, or cooking tips based on your experience with this recipe, please share them below.
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