By Martha Rose Shulman
- Total Time
- About 1 hour 30 minutes
- Rating
- 4(326)
- Notes
- Read community notes
A sweet and savory mixture that works well as a soup.
I’ve always loved the combination of celeriac, potatoes and apples, which I first tasted in France as a celeriac, potato and apple purée. The sweet and savory mixture works very nicely as a soup. I like to strain this soup after I purée it to get a velvety texture.
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Ingredients
Yield:16 to 18 demitasse servings or 8 bowls
- 1tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1medium onion, chopped
- 2leeks, white and light green part only, halved lengthwise, cleaned and sliced or chopped
- Salt to taste
- 2pounds celeriac, peeled and diced (retain tops for bouquet garni and garnish)
- 1large russet potato (about ¾ pound), peeled and diced
- 2granny smith or braeburn apples, cored, peeled and diced
- 2quarts water, chicken stock, or vegetable stock
- A bouquet garni made with a bay leaf and a couple of sprigs each thyme and parsley, and a stem or two of the celery from the celery root, if still attached
- Freshly ground pepper to taste
- Slivered celery leaves for garnish
Garnish
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
184 calories; 3 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 2 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 38 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams dietary fiber; 11 grams sugars; 4 grams protein; 1497 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy soup pot over medium heat and add the onion, leeks and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the celeriac and a generous pinch of salt, cover partially and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring often, until the celeriac has begun to soften. Add the potatoes, apples, water or stock, salt to taste, and the bouquet garni. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer 1 hour, or until the vegetables are very tender and the soup is fragrant. Remove and discard the bouquet garni.
Step
2
Blend the soup in batches in a blender (cover the top with a towel and hold it down to avoid hot splashes), or through a food mill fitted with the fine blade. The soup should be very smooth. Strain if desired. Return to the pot. Stir and taste. Adjust salt, add freshly ground pepper, and heat through. Serve in small bowls or espresso cups, garnished with thin slivers of celery leaves.
Tip
- Advance preparation: You can make this a day or two ahead and reheat. The soup can be frozen, but you will need to blend it again when you thaw it.
Ratings
4
out of 5
326
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Cooking Notes
EW
If you have lots of veggies from a CSA or otherwise, this soup is a great use for them! I didn't have quite the amount of celariac, so I added a turnip to make up the weight. Still great, didn't even use stock at all, just water and salt, which made a very fresh, clean-tasting soup.
thelettermegan
recipe described a light soup for sipping as an appetizer, but I found that this was quite yummy in a big bowl with some parmesan cheese. I made it with shallots and those half-purple potatoes. This is a good "what do I do with all my random vegetables from the CSA box?" soup.
Pam Mac
Fantastic recipe! I used chicken broth and a mixture of Granny Smith and Rome apples -- one large Rome and two small Grannies. The Rome apple imparted sweet notes to the soup that were a nice touch. I used an immersion blender rather than pouring the soup into a conventional blender. This recipe makes a LOT of soup. Be sure to use leeks as well as onions. Their delicate flavor is an essential component. Only seasoning used after prep was freshly ground pepper. Winning and easy recipe!
Suzyz
This soup was so delicious! Rich and creamy and yet refreshing with bright flavors! I used 1 quart vegetable broth and 1 quart chicken. Very yummy!
JKH
I've made this twice now and really recommend it. Great soup, unexpected flavors. The first time I used only onion as I had no leeks -- it came out great. The apples were small and so added a splash of apple juice (cider would be better if you have it) to get more apple flavor. Nice winter soup.
Rick Sullens
Used only leeks for this soup. Also added a 1/2 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar to balance out the sweet of the apple. Very rich and delicious!
cmgc
Delicious, nuanced, satisfying. Fabulous texture with a taste that just keeps getting better and better with every spoonful.
Eliz
Delicious. Threw in a random parsnip and a couple of pieces of ripe pear because they were hanging around. Drizzled first serving with truffle olive oil. Second serving scattered crispy fried onions on top
Karen from Ithaca
This CSA soup was quite tasty and easy to prepare. I sprinkled a little nutritional dry yeast on y individual serving to good effect. Next time, I might 1/2 cup of yeast into the soup and thin accordingly with stock.
Mimi
A splash of fish sauce and cider vinegar were the only additions made. Yum
Kim F
Swapped the onion with a large shallot, used chicken broth, and didn't add the thyme (I may add some dried thyme on top for the next bowl). My celeriac was only 1.5 pounds, but it was still excellent and really flavorful. I'll definitely be making this again.
E Seaver
I cannot find celeriac, what can I substitute?
Lucy P
Delicious! I only had 1 lb of celeriac (from the unending CSA), so I added extra potato. Used about a tsp of dried thyme and rosemary since I didn't have the other herbs. Took the advice of another note I read here, and served with parm and a crusty loaf! Who doesn't love THAT!
st
Like another reviewer, I loved this more and more after a few spoonfuls. Now two cups in I never want to be without it! I used what I had which was all the ingredients but in varying quantities (1 smallish celery root was accounted for with added celery and potato), and I couldn’t resist using butter instead of oil. The apples were a tad sweet for me (Braeburn) but a 1/4 cup of crème fraiche softened the blow. Love it!
mk
I didn’t put apples in the soup- I stuck some carrots in as a replacement and it came out wonderfully.I got raves from my entire family- they said to make it again!
alli
I did not like the first two bites of this. But by bite three, I was sold. I had two bowls. Then I had two more for lunch the next day. Way better than I thought it would be. I added red pepper flakes for some bite.
Rachel H
I love making soups like this one because of its versatility: add cream and a parmesan rind for more decadence; add Roquefort croutons (re: poached from a different NYT recipe by Molly O'Neill) and diced ham for more substance; add fresh herbs and apple cider vinegar for more brilliance. The best recipes are those that accommodate the pantry, produce, and palettes of the everyday chef.
mkm
overall this was pretty good! i used all homemade chicken broth & didn't have parsley at home. at first i thought it was a little lacking so i added a little dijon mustand & wOW really amped up the flavor once it cooled a little.
Jenny Green
I omitted the potato as unnecessary stodge and finished with a touch of cider and cream. Sprinkle of nutmeg on each bowl was lovely.
GBB
My bouquet garni disintegrated, so all the leaves went into the soup. Only stems were left when I went to remove it at the end. While I love an herby dish, the taste of thyme was overpowering. Next time, I'll try putting the bouquet garni in a mesh soup bag.
Narcissa
Made this. Everyone loved it. Only difference added some celery.
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