Puree Of Celery Root Soup |
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Prep Time: 0 Minutes Cook Time: 50 Minutes |
Ready In: 50 Minutes Servings: 5 |
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This recipe makes a fairly small batch, so consider doubling it. You won’t be sorry. Ingredients:
2 1/2 tbs olive oil, divided |
1 small leek, white part only, coarsely chopped |
1/2 medium yellow onion, coarsely chopped |
1 stalk celery, coarsely chopped |
2 cloves garlic, sliced |
1 lb. peeled, chopped celery root (from about 3 baseball-size bulbs) |
3 cups mild chicken or vegetable broth, preferably homemade (see below) |
1/2 tsp salt, plus more to taste |
4-5 tbs skim milk |
chopped chervil, for serving (optional) |
Directions:
1. First, choose a root that’s roughly baseball-size and that feels firm and hard – never spongy – and heavy for its size. To prepare it, plunk it in the sink and attack it with your vegetable peeler. The smoother, non-rooty end is easy to peel with a few quick, decisive strokes, and then the root end can be trimmed with a sharp knife. You may lose more of the bulb than you might expect – these little buggers can be craggy, calling for some serious trimming. But once the celery root is ready, you’re most of the way there. The delicate flavor of this soup begs for a clean, mild broth – and preferably one that’s homemade. If you’ve made some good chicken broth lately, by all means, use that.
2. In a large saucepan over medium heat, warm 2 Tbs olive oil. Add the leek, onion, celery, and garlic, and sauté until softened but not browned, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add the celery root, broth, and salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, partially cover, and simmer until the celery root is very tender. It should break apart easily when poked with a fork; on my stove, this takes about 35-45 minutes. Remove the soup from the heat.
3. Using a blender and working in small batches – when working with hot liquids, never fill the blender more than 1/3 full! - purée the soup until very smooth. Add the remaining 1/2 Tbs oil and the milk, and stir to incorporate. Taste, and adjust seasoning as necessary. Reheat gently until just steaming.
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