Celery Soup

[ellise]

3 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium baking potato
1/2 cup chopped shallots
6 - 7 stalks of celery
3/4 cup dry white wine
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup Half and Half
Salt and pepper to taste
Croutons

Melt butter with olive oil in a pot.
Add onion and potato and cook over medium heat for about five minutes.
Add celery and shallots and cook for about 5 minutes more.
Add wine, bring to a boil and cook for about three minutes.
Add chicken broth, cover and simmer until vegetables are tender, about one hour.
Remove from heat and allow mixture to cool for about 20 minutes.
Pour mixture in batches into a blender and blend until the soup is smooth.
Return soup to the pot, heat to a simmer and then add Half and Half and salt and pepper to taste. Serve with croutons for garnish.

The Skinny: Use fat free chicken broth and Half and Half. Substitute apple cider for the white wine if you want to avoid alcohol.

[braided-rug]

Our son made a nice celery soup a few years back, I will post it.

[braided-rug]

Our son made this for his aunts visit once, and it was very nice. He didn't have blue cheese, but it didn't seem to matter. The recipe comes from a book by Mary Berry, which was a gift to him. A lovely book, and I was blessed to see Mary Berry on the Lifestyle channel on Austar as a guest.

The book is called The New Cook.

Celery Soup with Blue Cheese Cream

1 head of celery, trimmed, with leaves reserved
50g butter
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
25g plain flour
1 vegetable stock cube
salt and pepper
425ml milk

For the blue cheese cream:

50g Danish blue cheese
150ml half-fat creme faiche

Chop celery sticks crosswise into 5mm thick slices. Melt the butter in a large pan, add the celery and onion and stir. Cover and cook over low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Dissolve the stock cube in 425ml boiling water. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables, stir well, then pour in the stock and bring to the boil over high heat, stirring all the time. Add salt and pepper, cover and reduce the heat. Simmer for about 10 minutes or until the celery is very tender.

Remove the pan from the heat. Using an electric hand-held blender, with the blades below the level of the soup, puree for about 3 minutes until smooth.

Return the soup to medium heat, pour in the milk and mix well. Bring the soup to a simmer, then check the seasoning. Cover the pan and reduce the heat to low while making the blue cheese cream.

Put the blue cheese in a small bowl and mash with a fork until smooth. Add the creme fraiche a little at a time and work into the cheese until evenly combined.

Stir the soup one more time, then ladle it into warmed bowls. Place a large spoonful of blue cheese cream in the centre of each bowl of soup and swirl it in. Scatter chopped celery leaves on top and serve immediately.