Cream of Celery Soup
Celery from Romero Farms has been so big and beautiful lately that I’ve been enjoying it both raw and cooked. Raw, I like to dip pieces of a stalk into a quick yogurt dip of Camino de Paz yogurt and El Bosque shallots and garlic (both minced). I also like spreading celery with Camino de Paz chevre or a blue cheese from Old Windmill Dairy. Cooked, I like to make a quick and simple cream of celery soup based on a recipe by Mark Bittman in How To Cook Everything. To his ingredients, I add El Bosque garlic and some really juicy yellow onion from La Otra Banda.
The Recipe
Ingredients
- About 1 pound celery, trimmed and chopped
- ½ cup white rice or 1 medium baking potato, peeled and cut into quarters
- 4 cups chicken, beef, or vegetable stock or water
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ to 1 cup cream or half-and-half
- Chopped fresh parsley leaves or chives for garnish
PREPARATION
- Combine the celery, rice or potato, and stock in a large, deep pot over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to medium and cook until the vegetables are very tender, about 15 minutes.
- Cool slightly, then puree through a food mill or in a blender. (At this point, you may refrigerate the soup, covered, for up to 2 days; reheat before proceeding.)
- Return the soup to the pot and reheat over medium-low heat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then add the cream. Heat through, garnish, and serve.
This locally inspired recipe is brought to you by Pam Walker. Pam is an avid home cook, writer, and local farm and food activist who is also a board member of the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market Institute. Thank you, Pam, for helping inspire us to use locally sourced ingredients!