When I got my friend Carol Horton’s CSA box this week, I didn’t know what to do with the celery and celery root. The celery had a very strong taste and was too tough to eat raw, and I’d never worked with celery root before. I went to my old standby, Epicurious, and was intrigued with the idea of a cream of celery soup. Would it be delicate and sophisticated, or would it be green baby food? To my delight, it was the former. A delicious and elegant soup that dances on the palate. I’m a little bit naive to the copyright issues with blogging borrowed content, so I’m hoping I’ve properly attributed the recipe. A couple of notes: The soup is most easily blended right in the pan with an immersion blender, and I definitely thinned this down to soup consistency from baby food consistency. Homemade croutons would make a lovely garnish.

Bon Appétit | December 1995

yield: Serves 6

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
• 5 cups chopped celery
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 1 1-pound celery root, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 10-ounce russet potato, peeled, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces

• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 teaspoon celery salt
• 2 14 1/2-ounce cans (or more) low-salt chicken broth

• 1 cup whipping cream

Preparation

Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add celery and onions. Cover and cook until very tender, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Stir in celery root, potato, garlic and celery salt. Add 2 cans broth; cover and simmer until all vegetables are very tender, about 30 minutes. Puree in blender in batches. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.)

Pour soup into large saucepan. Add cream; bring to simmer, stirring often. Thin with more broth if necessary. Season with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls.

Cook’s notes: All ingredients and proportions are approximate. I add all of the celery and celery root tops when the vegetables go in to simmer. Nothing need go to waste.