Celeriac and Apple Soup
Fresh tasting and warming, this is a soup to pick you up
on a cold winter’s day. Use tart cooking apples for the best tangy
flavour and either mash the ingredients in the soup with a potato masher
or put through the coarse plate of a food mill. You will need about half
the weight of apple as of celeriac.
Though cut celeriac does discolour if left for long exposed to the air,
I have never found the need to drop prepared pieces into acidulated
water to keep them white while I prepare the rest. When making this soup
you can add each chopped quarter to the onion and apple and stir to coat
the pieces with the butter, leaving it to start gently cooking while you
peel and chop the other pieces.
The tender, central leaves and stems from the celeriac can be used for
garnish if you grow your own.
Time taken 30-40 minutes
depending how fiddly the celeriac is to peel
Makes 4 big bowls
1
tablespoon butter
1 medium onion
1 or 2 tart cooking apples
1 celeriac root
750ml stock (approximately)
8 sage leaves
salt and pepper
1 teaspoon ground ginger
Melt the butter in a heavy bottomed pan, chop the onion and cook gently
until soft but not browned. Peel, core and chop the apple/s and add them
to the buttery onion. Stir and cook for a couple of minutes, then add
the peeled and chopped celeriac, stir again to coat all the pieces in
the buttery juices and leave to gently cook for 5 minutes; then add the
stock, the sage and salt and pepper. Bring to the boil and simmer for
15-20 minutes until all the celeriac pieces are tender.
Mash or put through a food mill or food processor, check the seasoning
and add the ginger. Reheat and add the finely chopped leaves if you have
them or add a teaspoon of chopped fresh sage leaves.