Ever noticed that a celery leaf looked a lot like an Italian parsley leaf?
We thought we'd plundered our supply of celery... but then came across these wee ones!
To assist with our 21-day meat-free and alcohol-free detox, we recently wandered through the local library to look for meal ideas. A few magazines and an armload of cookbooks later, we spied a vegetarian leek and celery root soup from the 2007 Fine Cooking Annual Cookbook.
We were first introduced to celery root soup during a business trip to Santa Barbara and perfected an RGB version last year. But this one… this one incorporates leek. And no broth… so what you have is pure, unadulterated leek and celery root.
And you know what else? The scent is intoxicating. Try it; you’ll see. I promise. Garnish with celery leaves for the full effect.
[K]
P.S.It just-so-happened that the recipe’s author was once a chef at Chez Panisse (where we had dinner the night we got married). Tasha, thank you for a wonderful recipe.
Did anyone detox this year? What did you give up – and was it worth it?
Silky Leek and Celery Root Soup
Silky Leek & Celery Root Soup
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~ Serves 4-6 ~
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~ Ingredients ~
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 medium leeks (white and light green parts)
- 1 medium yellow onion
- Kosher salt
- 1 large or 2 small celery root(s) (yield 1 ½ pounds)
- ¾ cup 6 tablespoons crème fraîche
- ¼ cup heavy cream; more as needed
- Freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup thinly sliced fresh chives
- Optional: celery leaves, for garnish
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~ Preparation ~
Preparation Time: 1 hour 15 minutes (then let sit overnight before serving)
- Trim leeks; halve lengthwise, cut cross-wise into thin half-moon slices, rise well, and drain. Thinly slice medium onion.
- In a 4-quart or larger heavy pot, melt the butter over medium low heat. Add the leeks, onion, and a generous pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until very soft and lightly golden but not brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to low if you see signs of browning.
- Meanwhile, peel the celery root with a sharp knife (expect to slice quite a bit off the exterior as you trim). Halve the root lengthwise and cut each half into 1-inch-thick wedges. Cut each wedge crosswise into ¼-inch-thick slices. You should have about 5 cups. Add the celery root, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and ½ cup water to the leeks. Cover and cook until the celery root is tender, 10 to 15 minutes. (Check occasionally; if all the water cooks off and the vegetables start to brown, add another ½ cup water). Add 4 ½ cups water, bring to a simmer, and continue to cook another 20 minutes. Let cool slightly.
- Purée the soup (with an immersion blender or in small batches in a stand blender) to a very smooth, creamy consistency. Let cool completely, then store in the refrigerator at least overnight or for up to two days.
- About an hour before serving, put the crème fraîche in a small bowl and stir in enough of the heavy cream so the mixture reaches the consistency of yogurt. Leave this at room temperature until you are ready to serve the soup. (If the cream is too cold, it will cool the soup.)
- Reheat the soup. (If it’s too thick, gradually thin it with as much as 1 cup water.) Taste and add more salt as needed. Ladle the soup into small espresso cups or shot classes. Top each portion with a small spoonful of crème fraîche (it should float on top of the soup). Finish each cup with a pinch of black pepper and a sprinkle of chives or celery leaf.
Nutrition content per serving: 160 calories, 12g carbs, 2g protein, 12g fat, 1g fiber
Cost per serving: $1.41
Source: Tasha DeSerio via Fine Cooking Annual (2007), p. 96. Contextually modified as noted by Rustic Garden Bistro. A version of this recipe also appears online at Fine Cooking.
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Silky Leek and Celery Root Soup
I just got back from vacation on sunday so I am going through a detox of my own right now. No meat, and whole foods only – mainly fresh raw produce. I do this every once in a while just to get my system cleaned out
you know i’m all over this one, right? and i have a celery root soup recipe on SB that is to. die. for. love the use of leeks here AND i just so happen to have a celery root in the fridge that needs to be used – headin’ to the kitchen now.
Two of my favorite vegetables combined in soup? What more could a girl ask for???
This is perfect and would be wonderful paired with a good crusty loaf of bread and a big salad!
Love this soup! What a great vegetarian option. Detox…well, trying to diet and it’s not going so well. I’m now on Slim Fast…it’s so hard! Hope your three weeks was worthwhile in all ways!
This soup sounds SO good! Definitely bookmarking this page so I dont forget to try it.
Love the soup! But really, after your Shrimp Etoufee and having a few glasses of Pinot Noir, I’m not sold on the detox
Just finished my 21 day detox yesterday. So worth it. I feel better and as a bonus, I lost some weight. Love this soup idea. I make a roasted cauliflower and leek soup whether I’m detoxing or not. We fell in love with it, so it shows up regularly.
Had I known that this soup was considered a detox food, I would have attempted a detox of my own a long time ago. Looks delicious, perfect light meal.
Now I just need to find a detox-friendly beer.
I have never detoxed (I am not even sure if I think food can be toxic!) but I do like a clean and delicious soup just like this one quite often. So maybe I do detox and just don’t know it. GREG
I just made a similar recipe last week, Celery Root and Mushroom Soup, and it was great. It was a lot like this one, but had mushrooms in it too, which added a nice richness to it. I love your photos and look forward to seeing more of your posts. (Just came across your site today.)
Flavorful, healthy and affordable…I need more recipes like this! I love how you are doing a detox from meat and alcohol. I need to do the same. This soup would make me a very happy woman. Thank you so much for sharing with me tonight…and thanks for all the sweetness you leave on my blog and send in boxes…it means so much to me!
I’m a little behind on the detoxing, I’m sure everyone is already finishing but I haven’t started yet! I’m thinking maybe after Valentine’s day?
But then again I don’t see soups as detox food, just good comfort food!
Hi Kim! That is funny about the shape of those leaves, I never made the connection. This soup looks wonderful & I should try it out. “Detox” nope. I stick to a sugar-free, whole food way of life – so for now things are working out
Think I missed you this week at BMB – we were outta town. Hope to see you soon!
Oh wow does this ever look delicious and so healthy too
Celery leaves are used a lot in Serbian cooking, along with the celery root – I do not think I have seen the celery stalks at any markets when I go home.
Yes, they look a lot like parsley:)
My husband does not care for celery, but loves cream of celery soup. I can only imagine how delicious this soup is, made with the leeks instead of onions! Being that I make soup almost every day (and prefer the meatless varieties), I have to try your version.
Hmmm, what detox are you talking about?