How to: Leek and Celery Root Soup
Leek and potato soup is delicious, but can be a little heavy. This is a fresh light take on leek and potato soup using celery root (also known as celeriac). Celery root is similar to a potato, but lighter and more fragrant. This puréed soup is quick to make and lovely to eat before a meal, or for lunch with some crusty french bread.
Servings Prep Time
8 20 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
1.5hours 1hour
Servings Prep Time
8 20 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
1.5hours 1hour
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Trim and clean the leeks: Remove the root and then the tough green end. Halve the leek lengthwise. Spreading the layers apart, rinse thoroughly. (Leeks can be very dirty.) Chop the leeks into 1/4-1/2 inch half moons.
  2. Wash and peel the celery root. You want to cut away all the gnarly bits and peel it with a knife until it is smooth. Then cut into 1 inch (approx) cubes.
  3. Wash and peel the potatoes. Cut into 1 inch (approx) cubes)
  4. Wash and dice the celery stalk.
  5. In a large pot, melt the butter. When it is melted, add the leeks. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until softened, about 5 min. Add the celery. Cook for a few min more. Add the celery root and potatoes. Stirring frequently, cook for 5 min more.
  6. Add water. Fill the pot 3/4 full. Add the bay leaf and some thyme (1 tsp of dried or a few sprigs of fresh). Turn the heat up and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower the temp and simmer for 30 min.
  7. Turn the burner off and let the soup cool for about 30 min (or longer)
  8. Remove the bay leaf
  9. Using an immersion blender or a traditional blender, puree the soup. If cool, reheat the soup to season. Tasting as you go, add salt, pepper, thyme, and lemon juice. Once you are happy, the soup is finished.
Recipe Notes

This recipe makes a lot.  Even if you are only feeding a small group I recommend making the whole recipe as it freezes beautifully.

If your celery root is bigger than 450g, just use that much and save the rest for another dish.  You can use it almost anywhere you would use a potato.  

Also, if you want to make this soup vegan, just substitute olive oil for the butter.