I love the variety and flavors of
winter vegetables. Some only lust
after the juicy summer ones, but my heart goes out to cauliflower, beets, kale,
leeks, winter squash, and celery root. My approach as of late is cooking 2
soups a week in quantity to last for at least one other meal or several
lunches. In years past I was
always trying to make something new and different, but now I am joyfully
content with just a few basic recipes.
However, my winter soup repertoire has happily grown by one or two soups
this year. Thanks to my friend
Crossley, farm box queen extraordinaire, for inspiring me with lovely
vegetables, and for passing on this wonderful celery root soup recipe. The celery root is an amazing
vegetable, related to celery, but not the same. It has a wonderful mellow, earthy parsley-like flavor when
cooked – particularly with a little cream. It reminds me in a good way of the cream of celery soup I ate
as a kid (strictly from a can back then).
Fennel and Celery Root Soup
2T butter
1⁄2 cup
water
2 or 3
leek whites halved, rinsed, then sliced
1 fennel bulb
quartered and sliced
1-2 celery
roots, quartered and sliced
approx.
5-6 cups vegetable stock
salt and
pepper to taste
1⁄2‐1 cup
cream or milk
Melt butter and water together. Add leeks, fennel, celery root and 1 tsp. salt. Cover and cook slowly for 20 minutes. Add the stock and simmer, covered, for an additional 20 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes, then blend or puree (with an immersion blender if you have one – one of my favorite kitchen tools). It may get airy, but will get creamier as it sits. Add the cream/milk and pepper. If you are not serving immediately, the celery root will cause it to thicken so be prepared to add more cream, milk or stock when you reheat it. Garnish with chopped parsley.
