Sunday, November 16, 2008

Celeriac Soup

One of the greatest things about belonging to a CSA is getting to cook with things you've never used before such a this lovely specimen...
Celeriac
Celeriac may not win any vegetable beauty contests but it sure made a darn good soup. 
celeriac soup with bacon
We found this recipe on Serious Eats but it originally came from River Cottage. It is quite similar to a potato leek soup but a little lighter with just a slight celery flavor. We both really liked this soup quite a bit but our opinions varied when it came to toppings. We made some crispy bacon as a topping as suggested on Serious Eats. I liked the flavor of the bacon with the soup & felt it added a nice depth. Matt, on the other hand, had a second bowl without the bacon & said he liked it better that way (he added just a dab of butter to the top). Another good option for a topping would be seasoned croutons in my opinion.

Celeriac Soup
(we've changed some of the quantities in this recipe)

2 1/2 T butter
1 celeriac (about 1.5 lbs before trimming & peeling), peeled & chopped
3 leeks, white & light green parts sliced
1 small potato, peeled & chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled & chopped
1 medium onion, peeled & chopped
2 1/4 c chicken or vegetable broth
1/4 c heavy cream
salt & pepper
4 slices bacon, cut into 1/2-inch strips & cooked until crispy

In a large soup pot melt the butter over medium heat. Add the celeriac, leeks, potato, garlic & onion. Salt & butter & let cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beginning to soften. Add the broth & bring to a boil. Cover & reduce the heat to low. Let the soup simmer for 20 -25 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Use a blender or immersion blender to purée the soup until smooth. Stir in the cream. Salt & pepper to taste (we found it needed quite a bit of soup). Ladle into bowls & top with bacon.

serves 4

13 comments:

Stacey Snacks said...

I'll go with Matt, everything is better with bacon.
Boy, that's one ugly root!

Deborah said...

That is exactly why I'd love to belong to a CSA - to be forced to try new things!

Anonymous said...

LOOOOOVE Celeriac. The unsung vegetable. So glad you are giving it the "Good Appetite" treatment.

Lori said...

There are a lot of recipes in my Mediterranean cookbook with celeriac in them. Have never seen one. Thanks for showing me the pic. My curiousity is totally piqued.

Dragon said...

I just love to use Celeriac in soups. Yours look amazing!

eatingclubvancouver_js said...

From beast to beauty: amazing that that ugly, gnarly thing has been transformed into a wonderfully elegant soup. Looks fantastic!

grace said...

i've never laid eyes upon this hideous creature, but it's good to know that it can be mangled into a beautiful soup. :)

Anonymous said...

This looks really great. I only started cooking with celeriac recently, but I like it much better than most root vegetables and really appreciate having something new and different to do with it.

Alicia Foodycat said...

I love celeriac soup - I love your bacon garnish, but the other thing that is very good with it is some prawns sauteed in butter and garlic. The sweet seafood works very well with the celery flavour.

Anonymous said...

Nice.. Whittingstall's recipes and attitude towards food is really inspiring.

Anonymous said...

I think this is next on my list of things to try. Thanks!

Peter M said...

It's a fugly veggie but oh so delish...it's been just a year of enjoying celeriac and I'm lovin it...and the creamy soup!

Rumela said...

Hey!! that celeriac soup looks gorgeous. It must the great to taste too. Yummm..I love celeriac soup. I am going to try this tonight.

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