Friday 9 March 2012

Celeriac and Celery Soup

A friend who had looked at my blog for the first time today said "thanks for telling me what I can do with celeriac".  It is a shame it is a veg that appears to strike fear into people - I love its aniseedy celery flavour and smooth texture.  I decided to use up half of one that has been lurking in the fridge, along with a head of celery and a big leek, to make a soothing, creamy soup on a chilly late Winter day.  It is just the usual approach - clean and chop a leek (keep some of the green part, it adds to the colour), and chop an onion, then sweat these in about 25g of butter and a splosh of olive oil, along with a cleaned, chopped head of celery and a small head of peeled and chopped celeriac.  Do this sweating stage slowly, with the lid on, to help soften and develop the flavours.  Don't allow the veg to colour.  Now, just cover with veg or chicken stock and simmer for 15 minutes or so, then blend.  I like to add quite a bit of flat-leaf parsley at this stage - the overall colour at the end is much improved.  Thin with milk or cream if liked, season with celery salt and nutmeg and serve in a big bowl with crusty bread - I had some warm wholemeal soda bread fresh from the oven - heaven!  And cheap too - add some cheese and fruit and you have a substantial lunch or supper for well under a fiver.

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