This cold weather soup is perfect to warm the body and soul this Winter. It is so simply to make, with the prep taking ten minutes max. If you haven't cooked with celeriac before, give it a go; you won't regret it. It's one of my favourite winter vegetables, but is often over looked by people. I think one of the reasons for this is because it's not very attractive to look at. It's knobbly, odd shaped and has a brown colour; but don't let that put you off. It has a delicious nutty and celery like flavour and is very easy to prepare. Use a sharp knife to remove the tough skin and then roast, boil or steam it or even eat it raw by grating it into salads. If you haven't cooked with celeriac before, this soup is the perfect place to start.
Serves 4.
Ingredients
1 onion, chopped
1 celeriac, peeled and chopped into bite size pieces
3 apples, cored and chopped into bite size pieces
4 sprigs of thyme, using just the leaves
1 tsp grated nutmeg
1.5 litres vegetable stock
To serve
Drizzle of olive oil
Toasted hazelnuts, chopped
Method
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook for five minutes before adding the celeriac, apple and thyme and cook for a further five minutes.
Add the vegetable stock and the nutmeg and season well. Bring to a boil and then reduce and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and blend into a soup using a blender.
To serve, drizzle with a little olive oil and top with chopped toasted hazelnuts.
