No Waste Hearty Celery Soup Food

SIMPLE CELERY SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a big pot over medium-high heat and add the onion, stirring occasionally, letting the onions get golden, about 5 minutes.
• Add the garlic and stir 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.
• Add the celery, potatoes, broth, water, bay leaf, salt, pepper, and cayenne. The liquid should just cover the veggies ( if not, add a little more water). Cover, bring to a rolling boil, turn heat down and simmer gently until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.
• Turn heat off, remove bay leaf and add the fresh herbs and just wilt them (don't cook herbs or you lose the vibrant color!)
• Using an immersion blender blend until very silky smooth - OR if using a regular blender, let cool before blending in smaller batches. ( If blending warm soup, fill blender no more than halfway full, cover tightly with a lid and kitchen towel, holding it down firmly, when you start the motor (on the lowest setting, working up gradually) to prevent a blender "explosion").
• Blend well, a full minute, until herbs are fully blended, creating a vibrant colored soup. For extra "green" color, add a handful of raw baby spinach if you like, or more fresh parsley.
• Place it back in the same pot over low heat. Stir in your choice of sour cream, or any of the other options. Gently heat, careful to not over-simmer, or you may lose the lovely vibrant color.
• To make the crispy celery leaves, heat a generous amount of olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Wait until the oil is hot. Fry a "tester" celery leaf for 10-20 seconds on each side. Set on a paper towel. If it is crisp, continue on. Adding a few at a time, not overly crowding. If not crisp, fry them a little longer. You want about 3-5 leaves per serving bowl. In the same oil, you could fry the nigella seeds until you just begin to hear popping. Turn heat off. Arrange the crispy celery leaves in a crescent shape. Spoon a little of the nigella seeds along with a little oil in the same shape. Sprinkle with hemp seeds if you like.

CREAM OF CELERY SOUP

Steps:

• Melt the butter with the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion, season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened but not browned, about 4 minutes. Add the celery, celery root and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the celery is tender, about 7 minutes.
• Add the bay leaf, chicken broth and 2 cups water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook until the celery root is very soft, about 20 minutes. Discard the bay leaf. Add the heavy cream and return to a simmer, then remove from the heat and let cool slightly.
• Working in batches, transfer the soup to a blender and puree until smooth, adding some herbs to each batch; return to the pot and reheat if needed. Stir in the celery salt and serve with toppings.

COZY CELERY SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and let it cook for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
• Add the celery, potatoes, and stock to the pot and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover the pot, and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes and celery are soft.
• Add the parsley to the pot (if using) then blend the soup either with an immersion blender or in small batches in your blender. Season to to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and some fresh dill over top.

CELERY SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat, tip in the celery, garlic and potatoes and coat in the oil. Add a splash of water and a big pinch of salt and cook, stirring regularly for 15 mins, adding a little more water if the veg begins to stick.
• Pour in the vegetable stock and bring to the boil, then turn the heat down and simmer for 20 mins further, until the potatoes are falling apart and the celery is soft. Use a stick blender to purée the soup, then pour in the milk and blitz again. Season to taste. Serve with crusty bread.

NO WASTE HEARTY CELERY SOUP

Steps:

• Fry bacon in bottom of large dutch oven or stock pot, until crisp. Remove bacon, drain on paper towels, crumble and set aside.
• Pour off all but 4 tblsp of the bacon drippings. Add onions, garlic and celery and saute on med-low heat until onion is translucent. being careful not to burn the garlic.Add chicken broth, bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Strain vegetables, RESERVING the broth.and puree veggies in blender or food processor. Return pureed veggies to the broth and add the milk, celery seeds and thyme. Return to a boil and cook 5 more minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour into bowls and top with bacon crumbles, cheese and the optional, chopped celery leaves, if using.
• Note: I pulse my veggies in my food processor, because I like it a little chunky, and find this soup better the next day.