Celeriac, Potato and Roast Garlic Soup

Flip Filippi

This recipe comes out of intern GH’s mom’s collection that has dozen of recipes their family enjoys together. Sally puts all her favorites in a binder, organized in alphabetical collection (with index). There’s a wide range in the binder- some handwritten, others printed with scrawled notes, and even a few torn from cookbooks!

Celeriac, or celery root is similar in makeup to potatoes, yet very low in carbohydrates. This soup is thick and rich with a wonderful flavor, but doesn’t feel heavy due to the minimal starch.

Serves 2-3

Ingredients

  • 1 large head celeriac, peeled
  • 2 TBSP olive oil
  • 3 tsp ground fennel
  • 1.5 tsp ground coriander
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 head garlic
  • 2/3 lbs potato, peeled and diced
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1 TBSP thyme
  • 2 cups vegetable stock
  •  1/2 cup milk
  • crusty bread to serve, optional

Instructions

  1.  Preheat oven to 400 F.
  2. Cut the celeriac in half and reserve one chunk for step 3. Cut half of the celeriac into very thin slices and toss with 1 TBSP oil, 1 tsp fennel and 1/2 tsp coriander. Arrange on an oven tray lined with parchment paper. Slice off the tip of the garlic to expose the cloves. Drizzle with oil and wrap in foil. Place the garlic on the tray, transfer to oven roast for 15 minutes. Turn the celeriac and roast for another 10-15 minutes until the celeriac is golden. The garlic should be soft. Turn off the oven, and unwrap the foil so the garlic can slightly cool.
  3.  While the celeriac and garlic are roasting, dice the second half of celeriac into pieces just larger than the potato. Heat 1 TBSP oil in small soup kettle or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the celeric, potato, thyme, onion, and a pinch of salt and cook for 6-7 minutes until the vegetables begin to soften. Add 2 tsp fennel and 1 tsp coriander and cook stirring, for 1 minute. Pour in the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until the potato is tender. Remove from heat.
  4. Squeeze the garlic from their skins and into the soup. Add the milk and, using a handheld blender -or other tool- puree until smooth. The soup is supposed to be thick, but add in extra milk if a thinner soup is preferred.  Taste and add, salt or pepper to your preference.
  5. Ladle soup into bowls, top with the roasted celeriac and a sprinkle of thyme.