Celery Soup

My husband and I decided to give Misfits Market a try recently and we have discovered how boring our meal plan was getting. nips, collard greens, Brussels sprouts, mangoes and other items we don't often use. Today's package arrived with celery (last week, too) so we had more that we'd ever use! So, I  hit the Internet and learned I can freeze it (wash, cut up, dry, and freeze on a cookie sheet, then bag it, then toss in the freezer to use later in soups, etc. Then ... celery soup!! Who knew my DOH would L-O-V-E this soup so much!!

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, or butter
  
• 1 onion, diced
  
• 4 fat garlic cloves, rough chopped
  
• 6 cups celery, sliced thin (about 2 1/2–3 pounds) 1 extra large head, save some leaves for garnish
  
• 2 cups potatoes, sliced into 1 inch thick rounds ( about 1 1/2 lb –  1 extra-large russet peeled, or use a few yukons, unpeeled.
  
• 4 cups veggie or chicken broth ( or 8 cups water + 2 tablespoon “Better than Bouillon” Vegetable Base)
  
• 1 cup of water
  
• 1 bay leaf (optional, remove before blending)
  
• 1 teaspoon salt
  
• ½ teaspoon pepper
  
• ⅛ – ½ teaspoon cayenne , start conservatively
  

Add:

• ¼ cup fresh dill (small stems ok)
  
• ½ cup fresh parsley (small stems ok)
  
• Stir in: ¼ cup (or more) of sour cream, plain yogurt, vegan sour cream, heavy cream or cashew cream. (see notes)
  

Instructions:

1. Heat the oil in a big pot over medium-high heat,  and add the onion, stirring occasionally, letting the onions get golden about 5 minutes.
   
2. While the onions are cooking, rough chop the garlic, celery and potatoes. 
   
3. When the onions are golden add the garlic and stir 1-2 minutes, until fragrant. 
   
4. Add the celery, potatoes, broth, water, bay leaf, salt, pepper, and cayenne. 
   
5. The liquid should just cover the veggies. Cover, bring to a rolling boil, turn the heat down and simmer gently until potatoes are tender about 10 minutes.
   
6. Turn heat off, remove bay leaf and add the fresh herbs and just wilt them (don’t cook herbs or you lose the vibrant color!)
   
7. Using an immersion blender blend until very silky smooth – OR if using a regular blender, let cool before blending in smaller batches. ( If blending warm soup, fill blender no more than halfway full, cover tightly with a lid and kitchen towel, holding it down firmly, when you start the motor (on the lowest setting, working up gradually) to prevent a blender “explosion”).
   
8. Blend well, a full minute, until herbs are fully blended, creating a vibrant colored soup.
   
9. For extra “green” color, add a handful of raw spinach if you like, or more fresh parsley. 
   
10. Place it back in the same pot over low heat. Stir in your choice of sour cream, or any of the other options. Gently heat, careful to not over simmer, or you may lose the lovely vibrant color.
    
11. To make the crispy celery leaves, heat a generous amount of olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Wait until the oil is hot. Fry a “tester” celery leaf for 10-20 seconds on each side. Set on a paper towel. If it is crisp, continue on. Adding a few at a time, not overly crowding.  If not crisp, fry them a little longer. You want about 3-5 leaves per serving bowl. In the same oil, you could fry the nigella seeds until you just begin to hear popping. Turn heat off. Arrange the crispy celery leaves in a crescent shape. Spoon a little of the nigella seeds along with a little oil in the same shape. Sprinkle with hemp seeds if you like.
    

Enjoy!
Notes:

• If using cashew cream, adding a little splash of lemon juice, enlivens the soup. Sour cream and yogurt have a natural tanginess, so you may not need it.
• A quick way to make this vegan version ( with cashew cream), is to toss the ½ cup of cashews into the simmering pot at the beginning with the celery and potatoes, letting them soften. Then just blend it all up!
• Original recipe found at Feasting at Home with some modifications to suit my family’s taste.
  

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