Garden Celeriac, Leek, Turnip, & Potato Soup
Today’s soup marks the end of the fresh vegetables from the backyard garden, celeriac and leeks.
Beneath the soil they sat in wait for one special occasion dinner.
A bit of nourishment in a steaming hot and healthy first course in celebration, and perhaps a bit of recuperation for my sister Michelle after running the 26.2 mile Philadelphia Marathon last weekend.
Now my little sis Michelle is one amazing gal. Turns out, she barely needed a whole lot of recuperation after such a feat.
She’s got a big ole smile in the green jacket above. I’m taking the shot on Main Street in the Manayunk section essentially the three- quarter point of the race winding through both the scenic and historic streets of Philadelphia,
and then she was smiling even bigger as she emerged at the end point. Now that is one determined look of accomplishment.
Afterwards, Michelle enjoyed her own cheering crowd, even friends who drove down from Baltimore in support of the occasion. It was a full day dashing from spot to spot capturing the moments en route.
The celeriac and leeks were pulled from the garden and the soup prepared the day before the event leaving plenty of time upon returning home to a nice hot shower before enjoying our evening get-together and hearty meal courses at the shared table. I thought she would be falling asleep halfway through the meal. That didn’t happen. I told you she’s amazing.
A steamy bowl of creamy combined garden vegetables soup always seems a good starter course even if you haven’t just run a marathon or even have your own garden. Restorative or just plain comforting, Garden Celeriac, Leek, Turnip, & Potato Soup serves up as a real winner, savored, and appreciated all around.
Garden Celeriac, Leek, Turnip, & Potato Soup
Notes
Garden Celeriac, Leek, Turnip, & Potato Soup also freezes well without half & half.
Ingredients
- 3-4 tablespoons butter
- 2-3 small celeriac, peeled, cubed
- 2 leeks, white part only, thinly sliced, washed well
- 2-3 small turnips
- 2 potatoes, peeled, cubed
- 2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 8 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves stripped off stems, chopped
- 2 quarts chicken broth, more or less
- 1 cup half and half, optional
- few good pinches coarse kosher salt, more or less to taste
- 3-4 cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Heat butter in a soup pot on very low heat, stir in the celeriac, leeks, turnips, and potatoes, cook around 15 minutes until vegetables are softened, stirring the vegetable mixture intermittently
- Add in the garlic and thyme, cook another couple minutes
- Pour in the chicken broth, increase heat to medium high, bring to a boil, stir, then reduce heat continuing to cook until the vegetables are very soft and cooked through, around twenty minutes
- Working in batches, pulse the soup in the bowl of a food processor, an immersion blender may also be used. Blend soup well leaving a few small coarse bits of vegetables
- Return blended soup back to soup pot continue simmering, another ten minutes, add in the salt and pepper, check seasoning, adjust to taste.
- Pour in the half and half, stir through. Serve soup piping hot
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