Smoky Celeriac Soup

3.21.10 Rooting Around

I enjoy staring into the fridge and making an strive to accumulate sense of its infrequently overwhelming contents. All those substances are enjoy a puzzle that, with a bit artful pondering and a few inspiration from the muse, can come together into something beautifully cohesive. Consider that corned pork I made for St. Patrick’s Day? Effectively, I used to be left with rather a lot of gorgeous pork broth that I had strained and caught in a jar. And I had an very tremendous making an strive broad bulb of celeriac from our time out to the farm final weekend, and a hunk of smoked Gouda from the smokehouse. (In actual fact too intensely smoky to use undeniable!) I will be able to enjoy made a gratin—celeriac is broad enjoy that—but with all that amazing broth I fine to accumulate a soup. The final consequence used to be incredibly easy and velvety-rich. I suggest you give it a strive old to we pass on to the asparagus and sorrel soups of spring.

Celeriac (Apium graveolens rapaceum), additionally called celery root, turnip-rooted celery or knob celery, is, basically, a fashion of celery, grown for its bulbous root as a replace of for its stems and leaves. In inequity to other root greens, it’s only about 5-6% starch by weight. Celeriac is an efficient source of fiber, weight-reduction map B6, magnesium, potassium and a extremely tremendous source of weight-reduction map C and phosphorus. Nice uncooked or cooked, with a light-weight celery flavor, it might perhaps perhaps perhaps well perhaps also be mashed, made into gratins or grated into slaws. The conventional French preparation, a rémoulade, is divine with crab cakes. Kept between 32 and 41 levels, celeriac generally keeps well for up to four months and thus is a staple of the winter pantry.SMOKY CELERIAC SOUPserves 4I made the cream elective because of it’s now not in actuality valuable, though it’s a long way delicious! 1 broad celery root, peeled1 medium potato, peeled (Yukon Gold is tremendous)1 miniature onion, peeled and sliced thin4 cups pork stock (or replace vegetable stock)¼ cup finely grated smoked Gouda¼ cup finely grated Parmesan¼ cup heavy cream, optional¼ teaspoon pimentón, soft or spicy1/3 cup walnuts, toasted and choppedsea saltRoughly slice the celery root and potato, then combine with onion and pork stock in a medium-sized, heavy saucepan over medium-high warmth. Simmer till greens are very gentle, as a minimum 30 minutes. Cool a miniature bit old to pureeing in food processor, or with an immersion blender. In same pot, warmth soup and stride in cheeses, cream (if using) and pimentón. Add salt, if valuable. Garnish with chopped walnuts.