Yes, it's May and I know what you are thinking- soup? Celery root soup? Come on Alyce, winter's over, where's the grill? It's almost cinco de Mayo, how about some fajitas?
I know, trust me I know, but the other day I was in the grocery store, saw a big ole celery root and had to pick it up. I wasn't sure exactly what I wanted to do with it. Wasn't in a gratin-y mood, and wanted to do something a little more substantial than a salad, so I looked online and found a recipe for soup with celery root and apple that piqued my interest, seemed really simple, and so I got to work.
I melted the 1/2 stick of butter in a large, heavy pot. This is (except for the food processor) a 1-pot meal, so make sure the pot is large enough. I added about 4 cups of peeled cubed celery root to the pot, along with about 4 cups of cubed, peeled granny smith apples and 2 onions (medium sized) chopped medium. I also mixed in some curry powder (about a tablespoon), and some salt and pepper. Cook these over medium heat, stirring frequently for about 15 minutes until they are a bit translucent, don't overcook them or brown them. Add 4 cups of chicken broth (reserve a cup or so of broth) to the celery root and apples and bring it to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and cover the pot, stirring occasionally for about 25 minutes until the celery and apples are soft.
Remove the pot from the heat and you can let it cool a bit, and then puree the broth in a blender or food processor until smooth, adding in the reserved broth in portions as needed to achieve the consistency you want in your soup. I didn't add too much as I do tend to like my soup with a bit more texture. Return the soup to the pot and season as needed with additional salt and pepper to taste.
Wipe down the blender or food processor, add 1/2 cup of chopped chives and 1/2 cup of grapeseed oil (I used safflower oil, and it was fine) and puree. Dish the soup out into bowls and drizzle with the chive oil.
The recipe on line also called for cooking and crumbling pancetta to top the soup with, and it sounds like a lovely addition, but I didn't happen to have the pancetta on hand, and I enjoyed the soup without it.
This sounds really yummy and not necessarily winter-specific, esp if you work in a freezing air-conditioned office. Pretty chive oil!
ReplyDeleteI can't eat cooked fruit. It's a mental block thing. I think I may be missing out on so much. Even pie. (And this might be a silly question, but is celery root the actual root of celery, or something else altogether?)
ReplyDeleteit was really yummy, cooked fruit and all. celery root is a type of celery. it's in the celery family, but i think the celery we eat as celery doesn't have a big knobby root like that.
ReplyDeletesorry if this doesn't make sense
the rapture is coming and i am distracted
Thanks. I didn't mean to disparage the recipe. I was disparaging my own pedestrian palate. I hope you didn't ascend and are missing this post. Even if you did, Kitty can read it. I'm positive she was Left Behind.
ReplyDelete