Cave Woman Cooking!

Celeriac Soup is perhaps the most delicate soup I’ve ever eaten, and yet to make it I felt like a cave woman.  Peeling the main ingredient, a 1-pound celery root, required the sharpest knife I owned.  And cutting it into 1-inch pieces took brute strength.  But it was worth it.

I took on this challenge for one simple reason. I had a delicious bowl of Celeriac Soup a few weeks ago at the National Gallery Café in London, and I wanted to try making it at home.

National Gallery Cafe's Celeriac Soup

Step Number One was finding a celeriac root. There are some strange-looking vegetables for sale, and celeriac root (also known as celery root) is one of them.  It’s a baseball-sized root that looks like a giant turnip with small stalks of celery growing out of the top. 

My usual grocery stores didn’t have any, but a nearby upmarket grocer carried it.  The celeriac root I chose weighed one pound and cost $3.99. 

After peeling it and cutting it into small cubes, I transferred the cubes into a bowl of water.  My research told me to add a tablespoon of lemon juice to the water to keep the flesh from turning brown.  

When I was ready to start cooking, I used my basic Green Soup recipe as a guide.  Celeriac soup tastes a little of celery.  For extra flavor I added some maple syrup.  The end result was almost as good as the National Gallery Café’s version, although I left out the almonds because one family member has a nut allergy.

Mom's Celeriac Soup

Celeriac Soup – serves 6-8 

1 large onion, roughly cut
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound celeriac root, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 medium potato, peeled and cut into thin slices
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
5 cups chicken broth + more if needed
1/4 cup maple syrup

2 tablespoons heavy cream (optional)

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Add the onion and stir for about 5 minutes, or until the onion begins to soften.  

Add the celeriac root pieces, potato slices, salt, black pepper and chicken broth.  Bring the mixture to a boil, turn down the heat to medium-low, cover and cook for about 20 minutes, or until the celeriac root and potatoes can be easily pierced with a knife.  Turn off the heat, remove the lid and let cool for about 10 minutes.  

Transfer to a blender and process until smooth.  If the mixture seems too thick, add more broth, 1/4 cup at a time.  The soup should have a smooth, creamy consistency. 

Return the soup to the pot and stir in the maple syrup and cream, if using.  Reheat and serve.  This soup is also good served cold.  

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