Cream of Celeriac Soup

This recipe was suggested to me by George Kosi of the Google+ community - thanks George :-)

What is celeriac? Well, it's a root vegetable that tastes a bit like celery, which given its name is hardly surprising. It is actually a type of celery grown for its root which can be eaten raw, grated into salads, mashed, roasted or boiled.

Is it good for me? Yes! It's low in calories, high in fibre, anti-oxidants and Vitamin K. It also contains a host of other nutrients including  phosphorus, iron, calcium, copper, manganese and the B vitamins pyridoxine, pantothenic acid, niacin, riboflavin, and thiamine.

Cream of Celeriac Soup

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 x knob of butter

1 x tbsp vegetable oil

1 x celeriac root, peeled and cubed

2 x onions, finely chopped

1 x garlic clove, minced

1.5 Litre of stock (chicken, vegetable or a mix of both)

50ml cream (double or single, doesn't matter)

freshly ground pepper (I didn't add extra salt since celeriac has quite a salty taste and the stock contains plenty)

To garnish (optional but adds some colour and an extra dimension to the flavour):

finely chopped spring onions

Method:

Heat the butter and oil in a large pan.

Add the onion and fry gently until soft.

Add the garlic and celeriac. Put the lid on the pan and sweat for 5 minutes.

Season with pepper.

Pour in the stock, bring to the boil and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the celeriac is soft.

Allow to cool and then either puree with a hand held liquidiser or in a food processor.

When you're ready to serve, warm through, adding the cream.

Garnish with the spring onions.

A hearty soup for a cold winter's day!