Celeriac soup with toasted hazelnuts, pancetta and truffle oil
This celeriac soup is so. good. It’s creamy, delicious, nutritious, filling, simple AND decadent. Celeriac is a root vegetable that’s in season September to April in the UK. I add some tasty toppings on top to make it extra yummy, and more satiating - adding extra textures and flavours helps our senses of fullness after a meal.
Serves 4-6 as a main
Garnishes ideas (optional, but the more the merrier!):
Ingredients:
Toasted hazelnuts (roast yourself in the oven, then crush gently in a pestle & mortar)
Crispy pancetta
Drizzle of truffle oil
Sourdough & butter
1 celeriac, peeled
2 stalks celery
2 large white potatoes (skin on)
2 leeks, trimmed and washed
2 white onions
4 cloves garlic
1.5l chicken stock (or 1.5l filtered water with 3 organic chicken or vegetable stock cubes)
2 bay leaves
Several sprigs of fresh thyme
A knob of butter
150ml organic double cream
Salt and pepper
Method:
Peel and dice the white onion. Heat the butter in a large saucepan on a low-medium heat and then add the onion. Cook until almost translucent, but make sure it doesn’t brown (this may make the soup bitter)
Chop the celery and garlic. Add it to the pan with the onion. Allow to cook for 2-3 mins
Meanwhile, slice the leeks and then add them to the pan. Give it all a good mix and let the leeks start to break apart and start cooking
Chop the white potato and celeriac into chunks. The smaller the chunks, the faster the soup will cook
Add them to the pan, stir for 1-2 minutes and then pour over the stock. Add the bay leaves and thyme sprigs
Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to simmer. Simmer until the potatoes and celeriac are soft, but still hold their shape
Remove the bay leaves and the remaining thyme sprigs
Blend the mixture until smooth. You could strain the soup if you want it extra smooth, but I don’t bother
Add the cream slowly once the soup is blended. Stir it all in, taste and season
This soup goes so well with a tiny drizzle of truffle oil (careful - a little goes a long way!), crispy pancetta and toasted hazelnuts. I serve with a slice of fresh sourdough with lashings of grass-fed butter
Health & Sustainable Tip: Keep the skins on the potatoes. Might not make for as smooth a soup, but the skin is the most nutritious part AND less goes to waste
Storage Tip: If you want to make a big batch to freeze, I’d recommend freezing without the cream and instead adding that when you reheat, as creamy soups can go a weird texture when they thaw
Drooling over this? You may also like these:
