Recipe for Aliter ad Ventrem
(Leeks with Celery)
by Apicius III, II, 71
AFAIK, this recipe comes from Edwards and was inserted by original site author (I will say again to PLEASE buy these author's books! By doing so, you will help support them — even for books that are older and might not sell as well anymore... These authors do not do this for money, they do it for love. Please support them!
Well, you can see what THEY said... a laxative... A main course said to be very popular with the Romans. Hey, you need regularity! 
Original recipe: Apios uirides cum suis radicibus lauabis et siccabis ad solem. Deinde albamen et capita porrorum simul elixabis in caccabo nouo, ita ut aqua ad tertias deferueat [id est ut ex tribus eminis aquae una remaneat]. Postea teres piper, liquamen et aliquantum mellis humore temperabis, et aquam apiorum decoctorum colabis in mortario, et superfundes porris. Cum simul ferbuerit, appones et, si libitum fuerit, apios adicies.
Translation: Another vegetable dish, promoting good health; wash celery, greens and roots, and dry it in the sun: then also cook the tender part and head of leeks in a new pot, allowing the water to boil down one third of its volume. Thereupon grind pepper with broth and honey in equal amounts properly measured, mix it in the mortar with the water of the cooked celery, strain, boil again and use it to mask the cooked celery with. If desired, add the sliced root of the celery to it.
Ingredients
- 1 bunch fresh celery
- 4 leeks
- ½ t. Ground pepper
- ¼ c. Vegetable stock
- 2 c. Celery stock
- 1 t.Honey
Preparation
- Put pieces of celery in water, bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes. Drain and put celery stock aside
- In a fresh saucepan, cook the heads and tender parts of leeks until ¼ of the water has boiled away.
- For the sauce, combine pepper, stock, and honey, and add to strained celery stock.
- Bring to a boil and simmer for ½ hour to reduce
- Put the cooked leeks into a new saucepan and pour the sauce over them.
- Heat the sauce with the leeks and serve.
- The celery stalks may be added, if you wish.
