This is my go-to soup when my husband says there is “nothing to eat in the fridge” and for those who garden, you can grow celery almost year round — even indoors in the winter. If you come by my chef’s garden in the summer, you will see the mountain of it just by the kitchen door.
All you need to make this soup is a a head of celery, a hand full of fresh Spring onions and a hint of cream make an early Springtime bisque as a first course for your St. Patrick’s dinner or any other night. I made this soup along with my students in last weekend cooking class on Meatless Meals and we really enjoyed its freshness and flavor.
Ingredients:
(Makes about 1 Liter)
½ Head of celery
1 ½ Small bunch of spring onions (scallions) or medium leeks
1 Pint of vegetable stock
½ Good teaspoon of mixed herbs
Salt and pepper
Juice of ½ lemon
Dash of Nutmeg
1/2 cup of heavy cream or half and half
Method:
Wash the celery and scallions or leeks and cut into chunks.
Peel and roughly chop the onion.
Place the celery, scallions or leeks, and onion into a large pan together with the stock, mixed herbs, and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil then simmer for about 30 minutes until the celery is fork tender.
Turn off the heat and transfer half of the mixture into a blender, add the lemon juice and blend to a puree. Set up your pureeing station with a large bowl for the garden stock along with a ladle, the blender and the sautéed vegetables. Place the vegetables into the blender not filling more than one quarter and add a ladle of garden stock and puree until smooth. If too thick, add a bit more stock and if too thin, add more vegetables. Taste again for salt and pepper and add a dash of nutmeg.
To freeze, I use 1 liter screw top plastic jars.
When ready to serve, ladle the bisque into a sauce pan and add one teaspoon of heavy cream (or omit if vegan or dairy restricted) per serving or one tablespoon of half-and-half. Serve piping hot with bread or crostini.
To read about the many health benefits of celery, click here.
