Cream of Celery Soup

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I have some special friends, Randy and Denise who live here locally and put together an amazing garden in their yard last year. It was the end of their harvest last weekend and I had the opportunity to pull some fresh produce and help them clear the way for the spring.

We pulled fresh celery, chives, broccoli, daikon radishes, and green onions. All fresh ingredients that said “light” and “spring” to me. I decided to make a version of Cream of Celery Soup, as celery was the dominant vegetable in the weekend harvest.

I didn’t take into consideration the time it required to clean the celery when making this decision, so I put my daughter to work and said thanks to the professionals who clean this product and deliver to my restaurant for a living.

The soup came out as expected - fresh, light, distinct flavor, and it spoke spring. Being the meat eater I am, I did top the soup with some prosciutto at the end and being honest it was the perfect comprise.

I would say the last touch to this dish, and a vital part of the process was making it while sipping on Rombauer Sauvignon Blanc. Those two made for the perfect balance and a great evening.

Recipe:

4 tbps Salted Butter
3 tbps Sciabica Olive Oil (Use whichever flavor you prefer and make it your own.)
3 tbps Fresh. Chopped Garlic (Don’t buy it in a jar as it isn’t every the same.)
1/2 cup Green Onion
1 ea Medium Sweet Yellow Onion
2 tsp Kosher Salt
1 bunch Celery Chopped
12oz Celery Root, Peeled and Chopped
2ea Bay Leaves
6 cups Good Chicken Stock
1 cup Heavy Cream
3/4 cup Fresh Chopped Italian Parsley
1/2 cup Fresh Chopped Thyme
1 tsp Celery Salt

A/N Daikon Radishes Shaved
A/N Shaved Parmesan
A/N Cut Chives
A/N Slices of Prosciutto

  1. Melt butter and olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven, over medium-high heat.

  2. Add green onion, sweet yellow onion, and garlic. Cook for about 4 minutes until onions are soft, do not brown.

  3. Add celery, celery root, and kosher salt. Cook for about 7 minutes until the celery is soft and tender.

  4. Add the bay leaves and chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes until the celery root is tender.

  5. Remove the bay leaves, add the cream, thyme, parsley, and celery salt. Simmer for 5-10 more minutes.

  6. Working in small batches, blend the soup in a blender.

Top each plated portion of soup with daikon radishes, parmesan, chives, and prosciutto to your liking. See the photo below for how I decided to finish it.

Cheers!

Chef Fuzio

 
RecipesDimitri Dritsas