Celery Cream Soup

Celery stalks often play a supporting (albeit crucial) role in comforting soups and holiday sides, but their sharp herbal flavour takes center stage in this cream of celery soup recipe. To coax the most flavour out of the veg, sauté the chopped celery with a potato and onion in plenty of butter until soft and tender. (No need for a perfect dice here - you’ll blend the veggies together in the end.) From there, simply add the chicken broth - or make it vegetarian, by swapping in vegetable stock or bouillon - and simmer until the potatoes have cooked through, about 10 minutes more. Fresh dill plays up the herbal quality of the celery, while a swirl of heavy cream (cashew cream works if you want to go vegan) contributes body and heft. Blending the creamy vegetable soup in a high-powered blender (such as a Vitamix) will yield the most velvety texture, but you may have to work in batches; you could also use an immersion blender to blend right in the soup pot. (Working with a less-powerful machine? Strain the soup though a fine-mesh strainer after blending.) Requiring minimal cook time and even less prep time, this quick-cooking celery soup would make an excellent dinner party starter or simple weeknight dinner. Plus, it’s flexible as can be: Feel free to swap onion for leeks or dill for tarragon. Swirl in a dollop of sour cream or chili oil. Is your celery missing its leaves? Fresh parsley works just as well for the garnish. Ladle your soup into bowls and top however you wish, even if that’s just a dusting of freshly black pepper, freshly ground.

1 bunch celery, coarsely chopped
1 large Yukon Gold potato, peeled, coarsely chopped
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
½ cup (1 stick) butter
sea salt
3 cups chicken broth
¼ cup dill, chopped
½ cup heavy cream
extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
flaky sea salt

Garnish:
celery leaves

Combine celery, potato, onion and butter in a medium saucepan; season with sea salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, 8-10 minutes.

Pour in chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until potato is fork-tender, 8-10 minutes.

Transfer celery mixture to a blender; add dill. Blend on low speed until puréed, then increase speed to medium-high and blend until smooth. Strain soup through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium bowl. Add heavy cream and stir to combine.

Divide soup among bowls. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil, top with celery leaves and sprinkle with flaky sea salt.

Makes 4 servings.