If you are not familiar with celeriac you have a new vegetable friend to look forward to meeting! I first had a celeriac soup years ago in a Waldorf School cafeteria and its extraordinary goodness never left my memory. I have tried to re-create it since and this recipe is as close as I’ve gotten so far. The one I had likely had dairy in it and this recipe is dairy-free. It does have potato in it but the amount is very small so I would still categorize this recipe as low carb. If you have access to good quality milk or cream (from organically fed and grass-fed cows) and tolerate it well, it would be a delicious addition to this soup.
Set aside some time to prep all these vegetables–that’s the hardest part of making this soup.
Give it your best shot and let me know how yours turns out!
Serves 8-12 (consider freezing some)
2 large celeriac root (lately available at the Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op or Earthfare)
2 large leeks
2 large yellow onions
4 celery stalks
2 medium-sized red or Yukon gold potatoes
1/4 cup ghee (or coconut oil but I like the buttery flavor ghee imparts)
3 cups chicken broth (see recipe)
Water, enough to cover vegetables (see directions below)
fresh chives, finely chopped,to garnish
salt to taste
black pepper to taste (optional)
The only part of the leek that you add to the soup is the bottom third–the part that is mainly white. After cutting the bottom third off and cutting off the roots, slice into quarters lengthwise 3/4 of the way down so you can rinse all the soil out from between the rings of leaves. Once clean, chop fine. (The upper two-thirds of the leeks should be kept for broth; I used the leek tops–which I cut off the day before I made this soup when I was making the chicken broth.) Wash the celeriac well, peel with a vegetable peeler, and then chop into 1/2 inch cubes. Chop the onions and celery fine. Peel the potatoes and chop into 1/2 inch cubes.
Melt the ghee over medium-low heat in a large soup pot. Add the onions and leeks. Stir and simmer over medium-low for a few minutes. Add the potatoes, celery, and celeriac. Stir well and continue to heat for a few more minutes. Now pour in enough water to just cover the vegetables. Bring to a boil and then immediately lower heat to medium low to keep the soup simmering. Cover the pot but keep the lid cracked. Simmer for a few hours until all vegetables are soft. Remove about 3 cups of the soup and place in a bowl. Puree the rest of the soup until creamy with an immersion blender. Add the chicken stock and the soup that was set aside in the bowl (which provides texture to the soup) and stir well. Heat a few more minutes until evenly heated through. Salt to taste. Add pepper as desired. Serve hot, garnished with chives.
