Try making Creamy Celery Soup, other celery-centric recipes

In search of uncommon vegetables to use in recipes, I turned to Melissa’s. The California-based company has since 1984 been a provider of produce to chefs and supermarkets, including my own neighborhood Heinen’s store. Through Melissa’s I’ve made the acquaintance of fiddlehead ferns, elephant garlic, jicama and horseradish root.

Last week I bought a knob of celery root, also known as celeriac, which seems to be little known in this country, although it’s popular in Europe. I was not surprised to find it was tagged by Melissa’s with information saying it could be used in the same way as a potato.

I wanted to make a celery soup, something I haven’t prepared in many years but recall fondly as a deliciously simple dish. In searching for recipes at melissas.com, I found a remoulade from chef Alice Waters that reminded me of a salad I had one spring in Paris. I obtained permission to use that recipe and offer it today along with my own celery soup creation.

Despite its name, celeriac is not the root of the celery plant. It’s a Mediterranean vegetable that can be grown here from seed, if started indoors by February for planting outdoors in May. Originally grown in marshy areas, celeriac requires a lot of water to grow and is best harvested after the first frost. The frost intensifies its flavor, which is a cross of celery and parsley.

One of the nicest things about celery soup is its creaminess without using any cream. It’s also a low-carb vegetable, so it’s ideal for those who watch the carbohydrates they consume. Last time I made it from a recipe in my friend Beverly LeBlanc’s “Soups: 365 Delicious and Nutritious Recipes,” which is out of print but can be found used online.

I met Beverly in the 1970s when she worked at The News-Herald and we stayed in touch after she moved to London and became the author of many popular cookbooks.

Last time we connected I was in London, just for the day, and we went to Sunday services at Westminster Abbey, where she serves as a volunteer. (You can read that story HERE.)

The celery soup is easy as can be, although the chopping and dicing can be tedious. The celery root itself needs to have its gnarly brown skin peeled off before it is diced for sauteing with chopped celery and onion. It’s a very hard vegetable, so be sure to use a sharp knife. I used a cleaver to cut it in half and then into half-inch strips before dicing.

I chopped up a red onion because it was all I had on hand. Next time I’ll be sure to use a white or yellow onion because the red onion gave the soup a beige color instead of the pale green I’d expected.

My friend’s celery soup recipe suggests using a mixture of toasted seeds to top the soup. I’m giving you that recipe along with one for Celery Leaf and Hazelnut Gremolata from “Soup Nights: Satisfying Soups and Sides for Delicious Meals All Year” by Betty Rosbottom. Gremolata is a parsley-and-lemon zest concoction often used to make veal and other Italian dishes more lively. Add a little olive oil to it to transform it into a marinade or a salad dressing.

Creamy Celery Soup

Ingredients

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

6 cups peeled, diced celery root

1½ cups chopped onion

1¼ cups chopped celery, leaves removed for gremolata

7 cups chicken broth or stock (I use Zoup)

¾ cup creme fraiche or sour cream

Salt to taste

Instructions

Melt butter in a stock pot and then add chopped celery root, onion and celery.

Saute until softened, about 5 minutes.

Add the broth and bring the mixture to a simmer.

Reduce heat to medium-low and cook 25 minutes until vegetables are tender.

Let cool for an hour.

Puree in batches with a food processor, blender or immersion blender.

Return soup to pot and add one-half cup creme fraiche or sour cream and season with salt.

If it’s too thick, stir in a little more broth.

Cool and refrigerate.

When ready to serve, reheat over medium heat, stirring often.

 

To serve, ladle soup in bowls.

Top with a dollop of sour cream or creme fraiche then spiced seeds or gremolata.

For spiced seeds: Heat a dry skillet over high heat; add one-fourth cup each of pumpkin and sunflower seeds, 3 tablespoons sesame seeds and 1 tablespoon fennel seed; cook, stirring 2 to 3 minutes until seeds pop and start to color; immediately sprinkle 1 tablespoon light soy sauce and stir until it evaporates; transfer seeds to bowl and stir in ½ teaspoon celery seed; store in airtight container.

— From “Soups: 365 Delicious and Nutritious Recipes” by Beverly LeBlanc

Celery leaf & Hazelnut Gremolata

Ingredients

4 tablespoons chopped celery leaves

4 tablespoons toasted hazelnuts, coarsely chopped

4 teaspoons chopped flat leaf parsley

1½ teaspoons grated lemon zest

Instructions

Combine ingredients and mix well.

May be prepared 2 hours ahead of serving. Cover and refrigerate.

— From “Soup Nights: Satisfying Soups and Sides for Delicious Meals All Year” by Betty Rosbottom

Celery Root Remoulade

Ingredients

1 large celery root

1 tablespoon lemon juice

½ tablespoon salt

Mayonnaise (preferably homemade or Hellmann’s)

2 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon capers

Pepper, to taste

Instructions

Peel the celery root and cut into thin julienne strips with a sharp knife or with the help of a mandolin or a food processor.

Toss the celery root with the lemon juice and a pinch of salt.

Add the mayonnaise, mustard, and capers.

Toss again to combine thoroughly.

Taste for salt and pepper, and adjust the seasoning.

Allow to stand for at least 15 minutes before serving.

—From “The Art of Simple Food” by Chef Alice Waters