Serves: 6 - 8
Celebrate this delicious, although vastly underappreciated, vegetable in this simple soup. One of the great things about this and other soups is that it is easy to customize with the addition of other ingredients. Uncomplicated and good tasting.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 leeks, trimmed
- 2 garlic cloves
- 3 pounds +/- celeriac, peeled and cubed
- 6 cups stock (vegetable or chicken) or half stock and half water
- ½ cup of half and half cream (optional)
- salt and pepper, to taste
Farmers To You Ingredients:
Fresh and Other Pantry Ingredients:
- olive oil, butter, salt and pepper
Instructions
- Remove root ends and green tops from leeks. Thoroughly wash remaining section. Cut into small slices. Set aside. Note: the more green of the leek you use, the greener the soup will be. If you use primarily the white end, your soup will be ivory colored.
- Peel garlic cloves and slice thinly. Set aside.
- Melt butter with olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat.
- Add leeks and cook until they begin to get limp, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and salt and continue to cook, stirring all the while, so as to avoid excessive browning. Leeks should be translucent when done.
- Add celeriac and stock/water combination to the leeks. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cook, covered adjusting the lid so as to allow a bit of steam to escape, for about 45 minutes or until the celeriac is tender. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in cream if desired.
- Use an immersion blender to puree. Add more stock, water or wine if you prefer a thinner soup. Adjust seasonings.
- *Note: Left-over mashed potatoes are a great addition to this soup as are other cooked root crops. To add a green accent, transfer 1 cup of soup from the pot to another sauce pan and add fresh spinach or chard. Heat until cooked and then puree. When serving, swirl a bit of the spinach soup into the creamy white celeriac soup. You can also add a dollop of pesto.