This week, I am sharing with you a simple celery soup – now that celery is back in season. It’s comforting, affordable and flavourful, that can be made in just 35 minutes. It’s also healthy, delicious and vegan adaptable.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, or butter (Byron Spice Palace)
- 1 onion, diced (Sylva Lining Organics)
- 4 fat garlic cloves, rough chopped (Sylva Lining Organics)
- 6 cups celery, sliced thin (about 1 ¼ -1 ½ pounds) 1 extra-large head, save some leaves for garnish (Summit Organics)
- 2 cups potatoes, sliced into ½ inch thick rounds (about ¾ lb – 1 extra-large russet peeled, or use a few yukons, unpeeled (Jumping Red Ant)
- 4 cups veggie or chicken broth (or 4 cups water + 1 tablespoon “Better than Bouillon” Vegetable Base)
- 1 cup water
- 1 bay leaf (optional, remove before blending)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne, start conservatively, add more to taste or leave it out entirely.
- ¼ cup fresh dill (small stems ok)
- ½ cup fresh parsley (small stems ok) (Summit Organics)
- Stir in: ½ cup (or more) of sour cream, plain yogurt, vegan sour cream, heavy cream or cashew cream (Nimbin Valley Dairy or Cheeses Loves You)
- Garnish: Crispy celery leaves, nigella seeds, hemp seeds (all optional, but delicious!)
Method
Step 1: Heat the oil in a big pot over medium-high heat and add the onion, stirring occasionally, letting the onions get golden, about 5 minutes.
Step 2: Add the garlic and stir 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.
Step 3: Add the celery, potatoes, broth, water, bay leaf, salt, pepper, and cayenne. The liquid should just cover the veggies ( if not, add a little more water). Cover, bring to a rolling boil, turn heat down and simmer gently until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.
Step 4: Turn heat off, remove bay leaf and add the fresh herbs and just wilt them (don’t cook herbs or you lose the vibrant colour!)
Step 5: Using an immersion blender blend until very silky smooth – OR if using a regular blender, let cool before blending in smaller batches. ( If blending warm soup, fill blender no more than halfway full, cover tightly with a lid and kitchen towel, holding it down firmly, when you start the motor (on the lowest setting, working up gradually) to prevent a blender “explosion”).
Step 6: Blend well, a full minute, until herbs are fully blended, creating a vibrant coloured soup. For extra “green” color, add a handful of raw baby spinach if you like, or more fresh parsley.
Step 7: Place it back in the same pot over low heat. Stir in your choice of sour cream, or any of the other options. Gently heat, careful to not over-simmer, or you may lose the lovely vibrant colour.
Step 8: To make the crispy celery leaves, heat a generous amount of olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Wait until the oil is hot. Fry a “tester” celery leaf for 10-20 seconds on each side. Set on a paper towel. If it is crisp, continue on. Adding a few at a time, not overly crowding. If not crisp, fry them a little longer. You want about 3-5 leaves per serving bowl. In the same oil, you could fry the nigella seeds until you just begin to hear popping. Turn heat off. Arrange the crispy celery leaves in a crescent shape. Spoon a little of the nigella seeds along with a little oil in the same shape. Sprinkle with hemp seeds if you like.
Recipe and photo can be found at the following website: https://www.feastingathome.com/celery-soup/