Celery root

Everyone has been writing about celery root lately! I'd never heard of it or eaten it until about a week ago when Peter and I were having a fun New Years Eve dinner at The Farm. The entire tasting menu we had was delicious, with a roasted vegetable salad, duck breast, and an amazing chocolate peanut butter mouse. But the celery root soup I had for the very first course was really something. Very creamy and rich with a drizzle of truffle oil and a walnut or two floating around.

I liked it so much, I had a few days later in a prix fixe menu at The Old Inn on the Green in the Berkshires (another completely wonderful meal we had with my family to celebrate my Dad's birthday). I became a bit fixated yesterday afternoon, and stopped at the market on my way home to pick up a few.

Photo by ianqui

I made a super simple soup (you know, trying not cause any reactions...), and mine didn't come out as smooth and creamy as the ones I had last week. But it was still delicious. An excellent (allergy free) weeknight meal.

Super simple celery root soup

You will need:

1 large and 1 small celery root
1 medium white onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
Water or stock
A little salt and pepper*

Add chopped onion and garlic to a dutch oven or soup pot with a big pad of butter or a swirl of olive oil. Peel the celery root as best you can, and then use a pearing knife to cut off roots, dirt, and other offending materials. Cut it in half with a big knife, and then cube it into one inch chunks. Add to the onions and garlic, and add enough water or stock to cover. Bring to boil, then reduce heat slightly. Cook until celery root are tender when pierced with a fork (mine took about 35 minutes). Use an immersion blender or regular blender to smooth it out. Adjust your salt and pepper.

*For Peter's, I added some curry powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and a touch of whole milk to jazz it up a little after it was blended smooth.