Cream of Celeriac Soup
Celery root is one of the cheapest and ugliest vegetables in the shop and one of the most rewarding, tasting like celery and hazelnut at once. Across France, Germany, and the low countries it turns up as a pale, silky soup, and it needs no cream to get there: a single peeled potato lends enough starch to blend the whole pot to velvet. Sweat leeks rather than onions to keep the color clean and the flavor gentle, simmer the roots soft with a little thyme, and blend it smooth. Nutmeg and a squeeze of lemon are all the seasoning it wants, the lemon doing the job salt would. A scatter of toasted walnuts on top picks up the soup's own nutty note and adds the crunch it otherwise lacks. Serve it with dark bread or a sharp green salad.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb Celery root, peeled, cubed
- 2 wholes Leeks, sliced, washed
- 1/2 lb Potatoes, cubed
- 2 cloves Garlic, sliced
- 1 tsp Thyme, leaves
- 1 tbsp no-salt vegetable bouillon
- 1/8 tsp Nutmeg, freshly grated
- 1/2 tsp Black peppercorns, freshly ground
- 2 tsp Lemon juice
- 3 tbsp Walnuts, toasted, chopped
Method
- Sweat the leek and garlic in 3 tbsp water (45 ml) over low heat until soft but not colored, about 8 minutes. Leeks are the sweeter, gentler cousin of onion and the right base for a pale soup you want to keep looking clean and ivory.
- Add the celery root, potato, thyme, bouillon, and 4 cups water (950 ml). The potato is not there for flavor but for texture: its starch is what lets the soup blend into something silky and creamy without a drop of cream. Simmer until the celery root is fully tender, about 20 minutes.
- Blend completely smooth. Celery root tastes like celery crossed with a nut, savory and a little wild, and pureeing concentrates it while the potato carries the body.
- Season off the heat with the nutmeg, pepper, and lemon juice. The lemon lifts the earthy root and stands in for salt. Top each bowl with the toasted walnuts, whose crunch and oil echo the soup's own nuttiness.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 150 calories, 4 g protein, 6 g fiber, 95 mg sodium. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement. How these are computed.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt. How this is computed.
