Creamy Leek and Celeriac Soup

Winter ingredients that deserve your love

The first time I asked my husband if he could take a 'celeriac' from the supermarket, he looked at me very confused. I tried 'celery root'. Still confusion. 'Ugly beige mystery thing'? Still no bells ringing. After showing a picture, he let out a (still rather confused) "ahhh..." and went on his way. The poor man had no idea with what kind of impossible side quest I sent him out for groceries. Meanwhile, I just felt bad for my husband not being familiar with this ingredient.

People who are unfamiliar with celeriac/celery root might have looked at it in the supermarket once or twice thinking "what in the misshaped potato is this?" and walked on. It is indeed a funky-looking one. But don't let that deceive you. Once you remove the earthy skin, a creamy-white firm flesh is revealed. It is a truly delicious and surprisingly versatile ingredient! In The Netherlands, we throw it in our green split pea soup (a classic, recipe coming soon). It is also undeniably good when roasted in the oven, as this brings out the slightly sweet anise notes.

This recipe is giving some much-deserved love to a vegetable that proves that it is the inside that counts. Everybody is familiar with potato-leek soup. However, if you're looking for a slightly less carby, yet equally creamy and satisfying version of a leek cream, this is your recipe.

Leek tops are edible too!

Before diving into the recipe, you might have noticed that this soup is rather green for two mostly white ingredients. Truth be told, I always kind of cringe when I see people chop off half of the leek when cleaning it. Yes, the green tops are tougher, but they are just as edible when cooked down and blended, adding more colour and fiber to your dish while saving a couple of pounds of food from being thrown out. At least, that's my opinion. I'm gonna let you be the final judge of that.

Creamy Leek and Celeriac Soup Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 yellow onion, chopped

• 5 cloves of garlic, minced

• 1 tbs vegan butter

• 2 large leeks, thoroughly washed and roughly chopped

• 1 celeriac (celery root), peeled and cut into 2x2cm cubes

• 1/2 cup white wine (optional, but adds depth)

• 1 bay leaf

• 1 tsp dried thyme

• 1 1/5 L (50 oz) vegetable stock

• 1 250 mL pack of soy cream (or equal serving of homemade Cooking Cream)

Method:

If you haven't cleaned your leeks yet, start there. Leek have a lot of dirt hiding, so a good washing is essential. Take off the end and tops (however much feels right for you, I leave quite a bit of green on). Next, halve the leeks lengthwise and rinse these under running water, while opening up the layers.
NOTE: I personally just chop the leeks, dump them in a colander and place this under running water while squeezing the chopped bits. This will make them fall apart, freeing up the spaces where the dirt is hiding. Do give your cutting board a wipe afterwards, to prevent chopping sand into your other ingredients.

1. Heat a large soup pot on medium-high heat and melt the butter.

2. Once the butter is melted, throw in the onions and garlic, sweating these down for about 5 minutes.

3. Add the celeriac cubes and sauté for 5-7 more minutes until nice and fragrant.

4. Deglaze the pot with the white wine. Allow the alcohol to cook off for a minute before throwing in the chopped leeks, thyme and bay leaf. Cook down until the leeks have reduced in volume and look soft.

5. Throw in the vegetable stock and bring to a boil.

6. Once the soup boils, reduce the heat to medium-low and let cook for 15-20 minutes, or until the celeriac cubed are fork-tender.

7. Take the bayleaf out before blending!

8. Blend the soup, using either an emersion blender, or blender.
   NOTE: If using a blender, make sure to take the little cap off the lid to allow the steam to escape. Things could get very dangerous otherwise!

9. Finally, throw in the cream and give the soup a final mix.

This soup is awesome on its own, but if you have some leftover bread laying around, consider chopping up a slice or two to pan-fry with olive oil, garlic and rosemary. To finish this soup with some fragrant croutons is just the final touch of love it needs.

Enjoy this rich soup on a cold afternoon. I am happy you are here :)