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This smooth and creamy Celery Root Soup is a perfect warming winter soup! In addition to celery root, it includes fennel, garlic, onions, and potatoes.
Celery root, like its close relation celery, is one of those under-appreciated vegetables. It's actually a variety of celery that is cultivated just for its sturdy, starchy root.
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I'm guessing celery root lacks for mass popularity because it can be a bit difficult to peel! It's nobby all over and you can't easily skin it with the vegetable peeler.
Like butternut squash, celery root requires a steady hand and a sharp solid knife to master. But once peeled, it can be cooked and mashed, shredded into a slaw, or simmered into a delicious celery root soup like this one.
Cutting celery root for soup
Use a sharp chef's knife to cut off the ends of the celery root. Then stand the root upright on a cutting board and use downward slices to cut the remaining peel off the the root.
You can also use a vegetable peeler to peel the celery root, though it can be a little challenging.
Once peeled, cut the roots in half, place the halves cut side down on the cutting board, slice them, then chop them.
Celery Root Fennel Soup
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 2 cups thinly sliced onions (sliced across the grain)
- 4 cloves garlic, sliced
- 2 medium fennel bulbs, thinly sliced
- 2 medium celery roots (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled and thinly sliced (See TheKitchn's guide to peeling celery root)
- 1 medium russet potato, peeled and thinly sliced
- 2 bay leaves
- 7 cups chicken stock
- 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (less or more to taste)
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 cup whipping cream
- Fennel fronds for garnish
Method
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Cook onions
Melt butter in a large (6-8 quart) thick-bottomed pot on medium high heat. Stir in the onions and cook until softened, about 4 to 5 minutes.
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Add the garlic and the sliced fennel,
lower the heat to medium and cook for 10 to 12 minutes or until softened.
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Add the sliced celery root, sliced potato, 2 bay leaves, stock and salt
Increase heat to high, bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low, and maintain a simmer, partially covered for another 10 to 12 minutes, until all of the vegetables are soft enough to purée.
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Purée the soup
Either working in batches with a standing blender (do not fill blender bowl more than a third full at a time), or with an immersion blender, purée the soup until smooth. (Note that an immersion blender will take several minutes longer than a standing blender to purée the soup to smoothness.)
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Stir in cream and black pepper. Adjust salt to taste.
Garnish with fennel fronds.
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