Celery Root Bisque

Day 29: Celeriac? There's a pill for that...

Getting close, aren't we. This evening I wanted something with a very simple flavor to follow the complexity of yesterday's gumbo. My friend Heather, on one of our weekly walks around Greenlake a few weeks back, mentioned making celery root bisque the night prior and my interest was piqued. She sent along the recipe and I have been waiting for just the right night to prepare it. Tonight was the night. Celery Root, sometimes called celeriac (which sounds like either an infectious disease or the cure for one), is one of those bizarre vegetables 98% of us walk by without noticing it. Sitting innocently by the turnips and beets it somewhat resembles a hairy hand with the digits cut off. Yeah, it's ugly, really ugly. It has a mild celery smell and flavor, and is a little sweeter than celery. It is actually not the root of the celery we make ants on a log out of, instead it is a different kind of celery cultivated for the root. Unlike other root vegetables (potatoes, beets) celery root is relatively low in starch. You can eat it raw (like jicama) but also make soups and gratins out of it. I had never had it before tonight, and I was very pleased with the subtle smell that the cooking produced. The soup was very light, I would recommend it as a first course or along side a substantial side (we had garlic bread, yumm!).

Celery Root Bisque

2 tbsp butter

2 leeks, sliced and well rinsed

3 celery stalks, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/4 lb celery root (celeriac), peeled and cubed

3 small light skinned potatoes, cubed

splash of lemon juice

5 cup vegetable stock

1/2 cup lowfat milk

salt & pepper to taste

2 tbsp scallions, finely chopped

Place celery root and potatoes in cold water with a few drops of lemon juice. Melt butter in a large saucepan. Add leeks, celery stalks, and garlic. Cook until leeks are soft, about 5 minutes. Add vegetable stock, celery root and potatoes (draining soaking liquid). Bring to a boil, cover, lower heat & simmer until potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes. Puree and bring the soup back up to heat. Add milk and salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with scallions.

Jay's Review

4.0 yums (out of 5)! A light potato soup!

Broccoli and Cheddar Soup

Day 25: Copy Cat

I admit it, this is kinda a rip off of a recipe that I already posted. BUT, its my birthday, and while I wanted to cook some soup, I really put most of my effort into sitting on the couch eating chocolates and watching romantic comedies. So I used my old recipe for cream of broccoli soup and added a brilliant melted cheese topper to create tonight's soup:

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

2 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

3 celery stalks, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbsp dijon mustard

2 small white skinned potatoes

1 lb broccoli, chopped

6 cups vegetable broth

1 cup lowfat milk

salt and pepper to taste

6 slices cheddar cheese

Heat oil in a large soup pot. Cook onion, celery and potatoes over medium high heat 5 minutes till lightly cooked. Add 2/3 of the broccoli and all of the garlic and cook until broccoli is bright and green. Add broth and mustard and bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat until the vegetables are cooked and soft (about 20-30 minutes). Using an immersion blender, blend until smooth and return to pot. Add milk and heat thoroughly. In the meantime steam remaining broccoli until soft. Add to soup and salt and pepper to taste. To serve ladle into a soup bowl and lay cheese slices on top. Place under a broiler until cheese is bubbling.

Jay's review:

3.5 yums (out of 5). Not as good as it sounded...

Creamy Potato Soup with Roasted Garlic

Day 13: Simple Soup

Lucky number 13 is a simple and filling potato soup. I looked for recipes for an interesting potato soup (anything not potato leek soup) and was let down by my options. I knew I wanted something smooth and comforting so I decided to try my own thing. What I came up with was a simple potato soup that relies on the strong flavor of garlic, in this case, the roasted variety. I kept the soup purposefully simple to let the roasted garlic stand alone. I intended on making it with a hint of rosemary, but getting home discovered we were out. So instead I used thyme, which turned out well. I think either would work just fine. I served with a side salad and warm and grainy bread.

Creamy Potato Soup with Roasted Garlic

2 med heads garlic

2 tbsp+ olive oil

1 tsp dried thyme (or rosemary)

1 1/2 tbsp fresh thyme (or rosemary)

1 med onion diced

3 stalks celery, diced

6 cups diced light skinned potatoes

6 cups vegetable broth

1 cup lowfat milk

salt and pepper to taste

Slice off the top part of each head of garlic. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and dried thyme. Wrap in aluminum foil and place in a 450 degree oven for 45 minutes. In a soup pot over medium low heat cook onions, celery, and fresh thyme in 2 tbsp olive oil slowly until onions are just starting to caramelize. Add potatoes and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring thoroughly. Add broth and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer and cook until potatoes are very soft. Remove from heat.

Remove garlic from the oven when cloves are soft and golden brown. Remove cloves from skin and add to soup. Using a food processor or immersion blender blend soup until smooth. Add milk and season to taste with salt an pepper.

Jay's review:

4 yums (out of 5). Rosemary might be nicer...