Elegant Celery Soup
Prep Time: 30 mins | Servings: 6 servings for a first course or lunch
PERFECT FOR: First Course for an elegant dinner or serve with a grilled cheese for a quick lunch.
SOUP STORY
I love to serve a soup first course for dinner parties. Especially one that is unique and sets the tone for an elegant evening without a lot of fuss in the kitchen. It can be made days in advance and will get better over time. Vegetarian soups are great for dinner parties as they please everyone and are a light way to begin the meal. I have made hundreds of soups over the years that include celery as a part of the mirepoix but I had never made a soup where celery was the central ingredient. This weekend, I found myself home in quarantine with two huge heads of celery and a rainy afternoon. Contemplating what to serve for lunch, I decided it was time to stir the pot with celery as the star of the day. For the lunch, I served it with a 1/2 grilled cheese sandwich made with Manchego cheese. This made the perfect rainy day lunch but is also elegant and versatile. The 7-ingredient soup could not be easier but the result was a velvety, delicious and unique soup that my family decided will make the perfect first course for this year’s Thanksgiving dinner. I will keep playing with it until the fall when it is time to serve to our extended family but I may decide not change a thing as it was so incredibly delicious as is! This elegant soup can be prepared in about 30 minutes. Sometimes simplicity is best in cooking!
INGREDIENTS
2 head celery, chopped-reserve the leaves for garnish
3 large fingerling potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 large Spanish onion, chopped
2 tablespoons of butter (optional)-substitute good quality olive oil if preferred
6 cups home made chicken broth or Imagine Chicken or No-Chicken Broth
3/4 cup milk OR 1/2 cup heavy cream
Sea salt and cracked pepper for serving
DIRECTIONS
In a large stock pot, add butter, onions, celery and potatoes and sweat for about 10 minutes
Add chicken or “no chicken” broth (Imagine is my favorite) and bring to a boil (see below recipe to make stock from scratch)
Lower to simmer and allow potatoes to soften about 15 minutes
Using an immersion blender puree the soup. Alternatively allow to cool slightly and then transfer to a Cuisinart for blending,
Add flaky sea salt and pepper to taste, garnish with the celery leaves and serve!
DIRECTIONS FOR STOCK IF YOU ARE MAKING IT FROM SCRATCH (No time? Use Imagine Chicken or Imagine No-Chicken Broth for a vegetarian soup.)
Add chicken parts and saute in olive oil, 10 mins
Add whatever vegetables you have in the kitchen-onions, garlic, carrots, celery
Add bundles of herbs in cheesecloth (whatever you like but parsley, thyme, bay leaves are go to
Add water and simmer for a minimum of 3 hours, better if you can let this simmer all day 7-9 hours for most robust flavor
Alternatively-you can roast chickens, remove the meat and set aside for soup and make a stock from the bones. If you do this you must be diligent about straining and checking the broth for any bones.
Flavor with salt and pepper to taste and then strain and separate the meat, ensuring to check for bones as you shred the chicken with a fork.
