Creamy Celeriac Soup

I was recently able to visit my friends who run Six River Farm in Maine, where spring is just beginning and a few roadside banks of melting snow remained. Though they are able to sell produce year round, the selection is more limited than their summer and fall abundance as the outdoor growing season is just getting started. However, I was able to bring home greens including spring mix, spinach, cabbage and kale and root vegetables including carrots, potatoes and one of my favorites, celeriac. I have featured celeriac before, purée with carrots and I continue to cook with this often-overlooked root vegetable. Roasting the celeriac for the soup creates a rich and well-balanced flavor, allowing few ingredients to be used for a simple creamy soup, especially delicious with an arugula and orange or beet and goat cheese salad.

For a vegan alternative, olive oil and water may be used in place of butter and cream.

2 medium celeriac roots, peeled and roughly chopped into 2" pieces

1 yellow onion, roughly chopped

2 tbsp butter

2 c water

¼ c cream

salt and pepper

olive oil

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Drizzle the celeriac with enough olive oil to coat, toss and spread on a roasting sheet. Place the celeriac in the oven and roast until tender, 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Once the celeriac is golden brown and tender, remove from the oven and set aside.

2. Meanwhile, heat butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Add the onion and sauté until translucent. Continue sautéing, adding the roasted celeriac and water, cover the soup and simmer over low heat for 15-20 minutes. Remove the soup from heat and cool slightly before blending.

3. Place the soup in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Add cream and continue blending, adding small amounts of water as desired. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve warm or room temperature.

Serves 3-4

Celeriac Purée

Celeriac seems to be one of the more commonly overlooked root vegetables, which is a shame because it is one of the more delicious roots we eat. I find it to be nice to cook with because it has a creamy texture and a milder celery flavor, so it is an easy replacement for celery in many dishes. Although the exterior may be a bit intimidating, generally celeriac is fairly easy to trim with pairing knives and peelers. Celeriac is also known as celery root or turnip-celery root. Celeriac purée accompanies many other dishes well, including feta roasted potatoes and stuffed bell peppers, due to its rich and creamy celery flavor.

This purée can easily be made vegan by substituting the remaining steaming water and olive oil for the dairy. An immersion blender or regular blender will also work to purée the ingredients together.

1 lb celeriac, peeled and roughly chopped

½ lb carrots, peeled and roughly chopped

1 tbsp butter

½ c whole milk

¼ fresh thyme

salt and pepper

1. Steam celeriac and carrots until soft, 20-30 minutes. Once vegetables are soft, remove from heat and place in a food processor.

2. Next, add butter and milk to the vegetables and purée until mixture is smooth. Add thyme and purée for a few seconds more until combined.

3. Season to taste with salt and pepper. May be served warm or room temperature.

Serves 3-4