Cream of Celery Soup

It has been TOO LONG since I have posted! I am glad to say that I am back to blogging in the year 2017, and couldn't be more pleased to share this recipe for cream of celery soup!

Celery isn't always the most stand-out vegetable in a dish; in fact, Seamus called it "the velvet moth" of vegetables (sorry for the inside joke). But there's a reason celery is the base of so many other great foods - because it tastes good!

And this soup tastes good! There are layers of rich-homey flavors of celery which come from using the root, stem, and leaves of the plant. I'm going to have another bowl! :)

Cream of Celery Soup
Recipe courtesy of Food and Wine

INGREDIENTS

• Three 1/2-inch-thick slices of sourdough bread, crusts removed, bread cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, 2 tablespoons melted
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• Kosher salt
• Pepper
• 2 medium yellow onions, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 1/4 pounds celery root, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 bunch of celery, stalks thinly sliced (6 cups), leaves reserved (1 1/2 cups) 
• 1/2 cup parsley leaves
• 1/2 cup baby spinach
• 1 1/4 cups heavy cream

HOW TO MAKE THIS RECIPE

1. Preheat the oven to 325°. In a large bowl, toss the bread cubes with the 2 tablespoons of melted butter, 1/8 teaspoon of the nutmeg and a generous pinch each of salt and pepper. Spread the bread cubes in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Transfer the croutons to a wire rack.
2. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter over moderate heat. Add the onions, garlic, 1 tablespoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper; cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are softened, about 8 minutes. Add the celery root, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until very soft, about 8 minutes. Add the sliced celery, cover and cook until just starting to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the chicken broth and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the parsley, spinach and 3/4 cup of the celery leaves and cook for 1 minute, until wilted. Add the cream and simmer over moderately low heat for 10 minutes, until heated through. Season the soup with salt, pepper and the remaining 1/8 teaspoon of nutmeg.
3. Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender until very smooth. Pour the soup into a clean saucepan and rewarm over low heat, if necessary. Mince the remaining 3/4 cup of celery leaves. Ladle the soup into bowls, garnish with the minced celery leaves and the croutons and serve.