The weather here, has turned. We had a good stint of glorious sun and calm spring days and now we are back to sun/wind/rain/hailstones and sun again, all a bit topsy turvy. With weather like this, what food I am in the mood for changes constantly. But soup is always one of those dishes that can work with any weather.
I have been in hiding recently. I think I have turned into one of those women, that people talk about in a worrying manner. I spent the last three days either lying on the sofa, refusing to move or in bed crying. As one of my friends said to me today “you can remind yourself not to feel guilty, or tell yourself the anxiety is unwarranted, the sadness doesn’t have an answer though”. And she is right. I just have to allow for it and to move through it (it doesn’t go away) and use that power and strength to be in a more positive place.
So I was lying in bed this morning when D had gone to work and the dog was just sitting there staring at me, her little head resting on the end of the bed and her sad puppy dog eyes begging for love or food, not sure which. Who could resist that? So we got up and went for a run. And now I feel like I can begin to tackle that long ‘to do’ list I keep adding to, it is amazing what a bit of fresh air can do, running helps those cobwebs blow away. At the top of that list… BLOG and SHOWER (yes these days, I have to remind myself to even do these simple tasks). So here we are!
I love this soup. My partner D however doesn’t. He isn’t a fan of apples used in cooking. But after playing around with the ratio of apple to celeriac, I found a great balance and one perfect for all types of crazy weather. I am going to happily slurp away on this for lunch all this week.
CELERIAC AND APPLE SOUP
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 onions, roughly chopped
- 1 celeriac, roughly chopped (roughly 550 g after peeling and chopping)
- 1 celery stalk, roughly chopped
- 3 green apples, peeled, cored and chopped (roughly 400 g)
- 2 sprigs of thyme, leaves picked
- 1.5 litres of vegetable stock
- 200 ml creme fraiche
- toasted hazelnuts to garnish
- salt and pepper
THE HOW
Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onions and celery and cook over a medium heat until softened (about 10 minutes).
Next add the celeriac, apple, thyme, stock and season. Simmer over a low heat for about 40 minutes. When the celeriac is tender, remove from the heat.
Blend in batches in a food blender until smooth. Return to the pan. Stir in half the creme fraiche.
To serve, ladle the soup into bowls, drizzle with creme fraiche and sprinkle with the toasted hazelnuts and a few bits of thyme.
Kitchen Feasts 