Celery Soup With Sourdough Croutons And Tarragon Swirl Recipes

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.

CELERY ROOT SOUP WITH CROUTONS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a simmer, add celery root pieces, and simmer until soft, about 30 minutes. Drain.
• Place celery root in a blender and process until smooth. Transfer puree to a pot, add vegetable broth, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add cream and cook until hot, but don't boil. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
• Meanwhile, melt butter in a skillet over medium heat and toast bread cubes until dry and lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with chopped parsley and croutons.

TARRAGON-CELERY SOUP

Steps:

• Place a large pot over medium-low heat. Add butter and melt to coat the bottom of the pot. Add celery and onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent and celery is softened, 10 to 15 minutes. Keep the heat low enough so that the butter does not burn and onion does not brown or caramelize. Add garlic; cook and stir until aromatic, about 1 minute. Stir in salt, white pepper, tarragon, and cayenne.
• Meanwhile, place a medium pot over very low heat. Add milk and chicken broth and allow to warm slowly. Do not allow to boil or scald.
• Stir flour into the vegetable mixture until no dry flour remains. Pour in all but 1 cup of the warm liquid and bring to a low simmer.
• Whisk cornstarch into the remaining cup of liquid until there are no lumps. Add the cornstarch mixture to the vegetables. Stir in sherry. Bring to a simmer and cook over low heat until warm throughout and slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.
• Blend half of the soup in the bowl of a food processor or blender, then add back into the pot and serve.

PURéE OF CELERY ROOT SOUP

Steps:

• In a saucepan over medium heat, heat 3 tablespoons oil and add leek, onion, celery and garlic. Sauté until softened but not browned, about 4 minutes.
• Add celery root and stock, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until celery root is tender when pierced with a knife, about 20 minutes.
• Using a blender and working in batches, purée soup until smooth. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil and milk as needed to enrich soup. Season with salt and pepper to taste. If desired, soup may be cooled, covered and refrigerated for up to 24 hours before serving. Reheat gently just until steaming.
• To serve, divide soup among four bowls. Garnish with chervil or tarragon, and serve hot.

SOURDOUGH CROUTONS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
• Combine melted butter, Italian seasoning, olive oil, and kosher salt in a large bowl; add bread cubes and toss to coat. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the bread cubes; toss to coat. Spread onto a baking sheet.
• Bake in preheated oven, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 20 minutes.