What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Bright Ideas: Xcellent Celery Soup! The best intentions go out the window when you realize you have more celery in the refrigerator than you can possibly eat, even on a health-kick. Plus, I’m no longer feeding a family of four. The reality is, as I’ve aged, my appetite has waned and I no longer require three solid meals a day. Can anyone else relate? Thank goodness I like homemade soup, especially if it has potatoes in it. This slightly modified version adds celery to the pot. And since I make potato salad with celery, I didn’t think this was too much of a stretch. Perhaps you will agree.
XCELLENT CELERY SOUP
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups water
2 teaspoons chicken bouillon
2 tablespoons salted butter
1 large russet potato, peeled and roughly chopped
3-4 celery ribs, chopped
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
2 tablespoons light cream
Garlic Croutons, for garnish
Celery Leaves, for garnish
Instructions:
In a 4-quart pan over medium-high heat, combine water, chicken bouillon, and butter. Add potato chunks, chopped celery, and yellow onion. Bring to a boil. Stir; reduce heat to low and cook until potatoes are fork-tender, approximately 20 minutes. Sprinkle in celery seed and light cream. Transfer mixture to a food processor and pulse to purée, leaving enough to make the soup chunky. Ladle into soup bowls. Garnish with garlic croutons and celery leaves.