Sweet-And-Sour Celery (Sephardic Passover Apio) - cooking recipe

Ingredients

3/4 cup water
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons mild honey
4 lbs celery, cut into 2-inch pieces, reserving about 1 cup inner celery leaves (2 to 3 bunches, any dark green outer ribs peeled)
1/4 cup finely chopped flat leaf parsley

Preparation

Cut a round of parchment paper to fit just inside a wide heavy 6-to 8-quarts pot, then set round aside.
Simmer water, lemon juice, oil, honey, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in pot, stirring, until honey has dissolved. Stir in celery (but not leaves) and cover with parchment round. Simmer until tender and liquid is reduced to about 1/4 cup, 35 to 40 minutes.
Meanwhile, coarsely chop reserved leaves. Serve celery sprinkled with celery leaves and parsley.