962. CELERY ROOT SOUP with BACON and APPLE

serves 4-6


4 cups vegetable stock
3 cups water
2 cups chopped potato
2-3 cups celery root (celeriac) peeled and chopped into chunks
2 apples -- 1 cored and chopped and added to soup -- 1 cored and finely cubed to garnish
4 celery ribs, about 2 cups chopped
6 slices of bacon
4 small spring onions white and 1” of green or
2 small leeks, 1 cup chopped
1 tablespoon bacon fat or olive oil
fresh nutmeg to taste
salt and pepper to taste.
1/4 cup half & half
bacon, apple, celery and celery leaves (or flat leaf parsley) to garnish


Cook chopped vegetables in broth/water until fork tender. Meanwhile cook bacon until crisp and remove from pan, draining on paper towels. Pour all but 1 tbsp of bacon fat out of the pan (or pour all and add olive oil). Meanwhile finely chop the garnish items and mix together in a small bowl. Saute onion until brown over medium heat and then add to vegetable/stock mixture. Puree all with an immersion stick blender or in a food processor or blender (you may have to do it in batches). For a thinner soup you can use a foodmill. Add the half & half and season to taste, mixing well. Garnish with the apple/bacon/celery mixture.


courtesy of: Fork & Bottle, Santa Rosa, California