Celery Root Soup - The Scary Knob

Celery Root, also known as Celeriac, is not an attractive vegetable. She will not win the beauty contest of root vegetables! In fact, it is rather a scary looking knob. The beauty is on the inside where a delicate flavor lives. Celery Root has a very distinctive flavor of celery and parsley. Celery Root can be used as a slaw over crab cakes, combined with potatoes for savory mashed potatoes or in a soup. In this soup you taste the delicate flavor of celery with the accent of smokey bacon and crisp apple topping. This is a wonderful first course soup or an entrée soup served thick with crusty bread and a glass of wine.

Celery Root Soup

Ingredients:

3 medium leeks (3/4 lb), white and pale green parts only

3 bacon slices (2 oz)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 1/2 lb celery root, peeled with a knife and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 3/4 cups water

2 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 Granny Smith apple

 1/2 cup cremini mushrooms, chopped

3/4 celery rib, very thinly sliced on a long diagonal (1/2 cup)

1/3 cup inner celery leaves

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 cup half-and-half

Scant dash of chili powder

 

Directions:

Halve leeks lengthwise, then coarsely chop. Wash leeks in a bowl of cold water to remove any soil and then lift out onto paper towels and pat dry.

Cook bacon in a 4-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, turning occasionally, until crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to paper towels.

Pour off all but 2 teaspoons fat from pot and reserve for later, then add oil. Cook leeks over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 6 minutes. Add a splash of white wine to deglaze the pan. Add celery root and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Add water and broth and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until celery root is very tender, 35 to 40 minutes.

While soup simmers, thinly slice apple lengthwise into 1/8-inch-thick slices with slicer, working around core, then cut slices into 1/8-inch matchsticks with a knife. Gently toss with celery and celery leaves.

In a skillet, add 2 tbs reserved bacon fat and 2 tbs olive oil and sauté the mushrooms until all water has been released and slightly browned. Add apple matchsticks and celery and sauté 1-2 minutes until slightly softened but still crisp. Add bacon and celery leaves to heat though. Remove from heat.

Purée the soup in batches in a blender until smooth. (use caution when blending hot liquids)  Return soup to cleaned pot. (If soup is too thick, thin with 1/2 to 3/4 cup water.) Stir in salt, pepper, and half-and-half and cook over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until warm. Season with salt, then divide among 4 bowls and top with mushroom apple-celery mixture.