Prep time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 15 minutes
Makes: Almost 2 quarts Recipe by: inpatskitchen
Celery roasted with a little fennel and garlic and then pureed with chicken broth and potatoes makes for a nice starter or light lunch. A touch of half and half or cream with a spritz of lemon finishes it off.
Ingredients
- 8 large celery stalks cut into 2 inch pieces
- ½ bulb fresh fennel cut into 2 inch chunks
- 2 large whole garlic cloves
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 medium redskin potatoes, peeled and cut into a 1.5 inch dice
- 6 cups chicken broth
- ½ cup light cream or half and half
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- Salt and pepper for re-seasoning if needed
- Celery leaves and fennel fronds for a little garnish
Directions
- Place the cut celery, fennel and cloves of garlic in a 9×13 inch roasting pan. Add the salt, pepper and olive oil and toss to thoroughly coat everything. Roast in a 350F oven for 40 to 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the edges of the vegetables just begin to brown.
- While the vegetables are cooking, cook the potatoes in the chicken broth until tender..about 10 to 12 minutes. Set the pan aside to cool a bit.
- When the vegetables have finished roasting add them to the potatoes and broth. Let everything cool a bit.
- In a blender puree the soup in batches. If you have a “liquify” setting on your blender use that. If you like you can strain the soup through a mesh strainer. Once pureed. return the soup to the pot and bring up to the boil. Stir in the cream/half and half and the lemon juice. Re season if needed and garnish each bowl with celery leaves and fennel fronds if you like.
NOTE: For a little more pronounced celery flavor add a pinch or two of celery seed or salt when re seasoning