This celeriac soup is very simple, but tasty, healthy and nourishing. I had cooked it about 5 weeks ago and almost forgot to blog about it. Celeriac (celery root) is almost out of season now, but with the cold weather we are having I wouldn’t mind a bowl of this right now! For an additional layer of flavor I roasted the celeriac rather than boiling it.

Making a great vegetable soup is so easy if you have a good blender. I in fact didn’t have a good blender yet when I made this, that is why the soup is not as smooth as it would be with my new Vitamix. Celeriac and walnuts are a classic combination and it works here as well. You can make the soup either with vegetable stock or chicken stock.

Ingredients

For 2 servings

celeriac/celery root, about 700 grams (1.5 lbs) when cleaned

1/2 litre (2 cups) chicken stock or vegetable stock

a handful of walnuts

extra virgin olive oil

salt and freshly ground white pepper

1 Tbsp minced celery leaves

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 225ºC/440ºF. Clean the celeriac and cut it into 3 cm (1 inch) cubes. Toss them with a bit of olive oil, just enough to coat them on all sides. Arrange the celeriac in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with oven paper.

Roast for 20 minutes at 225ºC/440ºF, then take out of the oven and turn the celeriac so all sides will brown evenly.

Roast for 15-20 minutes more, or until the celeriac is tender and starts to ‘catch’ (in other words, take it out before it burns).

Turn off the oven and use the residual heat to toast the walnuts for 5-10 minutes until they are fragrant and slightly crispy.

Put the celeriac in a blender and add the stock.

For some reason I neglected to take a picture of blending, but you get the idea. Blend until smooth.

Transfer the celeriac soup to a pot and bring to a boil. If the soup is too watery, cook it, stirring, until it thickens to your liking. It it is too thick, add water or stock. Stir in the minced celery leaves. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and freshly ground white pepper.

Garnish the soup with the toasted walnuts.

Flashback

These salmon and sous-vide egg yolk crostini were inspired by my cooking buddy Teun. The sous-vide egg yolk adds a very nice creaminess to the salmon, whereas the lemon gives it freshness and makes it more interesting. The crunchy crostini add texture.