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Celery Root Soup
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Celery Root Soup

A friend who teaches cooking in Tuscany, Judy Francini, taught me to slice garlic very thinly, rather than mince it, which can cause it to burn. And I’ve been doing that ever since. It's also easier! I sometimes add a few springs of fresh thyme and/or a bay leaf or two for additional flavor, but you can leave them out if not available or try some sage.If you'd like to use some stock, you could replace half the water with chicken or vegetable stock, although I find it just fine made with water. I did suggest a few favorite toppings in the post, but feel free to add your own!

Servings: 6 Servings
Course: Soup
Cuisine: French

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons butter salted or unsalted
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 leek cleaned and chopped
  • 2 garlic peeled and finely sliced, cloves
  • salt sea salt
  • 1 celery root about 3 pounds/1.5kg) peeled and cubed, large or several smaller
  • 6 cups (1.5l) water
  • 1 bay leaf (optional)
  • 10 prigs thyme optional, fresh
  • 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons white pepper or black pepper, freshly ground
  • scant 1/8 teaspoon chili powder

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. In a large pot, melt the butter with the olive oil over medium heat.
  2. Add the leeks and cook for about five minutes, stirring frequently. Add the garlic cloves and season with salt, and continue to cook until the leeks and garlic are soft and translucent. If the leeks begins to stick and brown too much on the bottom, add a pat of butter or pour of olive oil.
  3. Add the cubed celery root and water. Increase the heat to high, bring to a boil, then reduce to a strong simmer. Add the bay leaf and thyme, if using, and cook with a lid ajar on top until the celery root pieces are soft and easily pierced with a paring knife, about 30 to 45 minutes.
  4. Turn off the heat and add white pepper and chili powder, pluck out the herbs, if you used them, then purée the mixture using an immersion blender, or let the soup cool to room temperature and whiz in a standard blender until smooth. (Do not puree hot soup in a blender as it can create a vortex and blow off the lid, which is dangerous.) Taste the soup, and season with additional salt and pepper if desired. If the soup is too thick, it can be thinned with additional water.
  5. To serve, rewarm the soup in a saucepan and ladle into bowls.