Roasted Celery Soup
Oh sigh. Dig in.
Fennel, celery, potato, broth, cream, lemon, garlic.
Garlic!
Celery - our humble star of the show.
A little fennel blub.
Into a roasting pan with salt and pepper.
Getting your hands dirty is the best!
Potatoes! Just a little starch makes for one creamy soup.
Boiled in stock!
After the potatoes are tender, add those roasted celery and fennel pieces.
Carefully scoop the mixture into a blender.
Oh, just dump it in.
Whizzz!
Mmmm - after a little boil, add the cream and lemon.
Looking as lovely as can be.
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Author Notes: Celery roasted with a little fennel and garlic and then pureed with chicken broth and potatoes makes for a nice starter or light lunch. A touch of half and half or cream with a spritz of lemon finishes it off. - inpatskitchen
Food52 Review: WHO: Inpatskitchen is a prolific FOOD52er and -- as a retired teacher, paralegal, and seafood retailer -- a bit of a cook of all trades, too.
WHAT: A simple and elegant twist on cream of celery soup.
HOW: By roasting the celery and fennel, and boiling the potatoes in broth, inpatskitchen builds a lovely foundation of flavors. And of course, cream to finish is always a great idea.
WHY WE LOVE IT: This soup truly elevates humble, plain vegetables that are usually relegated to a garnish plate or side dish to a higher plane of existence. Given proper attention, lo and behold, they shine. - A&M
Makes almost 2 quarts
- 8 large celery stalks cut into 2 inch pieces
- 1/2 bulb fresh fennel cut into 2 inch chunks
- 2 large whole garlic cloves
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 medium redskin potatoes, peeled and cut into a 1 1/2 inch dice
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 cup light cream or half and half
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- Salt and pepper for re seasoning if needed
- Celery leaves and fennel fronds for a little garnish
- Place the cut celery, fennel and cloves of garlic in a 9x13 inch roasting pan. Add the salt, pepper and olive oil and toss to thoroughly coat everything. Roast in a 350F oven for 40 to 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the edges of the vegetables just begin to brown.
- While the vegetables are cooking, cook the potatoes in the chicken broth until tender..about 10 to 12 minutes. Set the pan aside to cool a bit.
- When the vegetables have finished roasting add them to the potatoes and broth. Let everything cool a bit.
- In a blender puree the soup in batches. If you have a "liquify" setting on your blender use that. If you like you can strain the soup through a mesh strainer. Once pureed. return the soup to the pot and bring up to the boil. Stir in the cream/half and half and the lemon juice. Re season if needed and garnish each bowl with celery leaves and fennel fronds if you like.
- NOTE: For a little more pronounced celery flavor add a pinch or two of celery seed or salt when re seasoning.
- Your Best Celery Recipe Contest Winner!
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28 days ago sel et poivre
Hi Pat, I love this soup so much that I'd like to have your permission to feature it on my blog (with credit of course). Pls let me know. Thx :)
28 days ago inpatskitchen
Oh yes! I'm so honored...please feel free!
about 1 month ago JLechuga
Amazing! We threw in some chard and asparagus....so yummy!
about 1 month ago inpatskitchen
So glad you liked this! The chard and asparagus sound wonderful!
2 months ago michellepennie
made this and it was absolutely delicious thanks for the recipes :-)
2 months ago inpatskitchen
I'm so pleased you enjoyed this..thanks so much!
3 months ago lindamettler
Perhaps dill? But not too much. Anise? Possibly just celery!
3 months ago sel et poivre
This looks fantastic. And I have a whole bunch of celery in need of some loving in my fridge. However, fennel is always hard to get (and oh so expensive) where I live. What do you think would be a good substitute? Thanks
2 months ago inpatskitchen
Thanks sel et poivre! Maybe 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of ground fennel seed and more celery? And lindamettler's dill suggestion sounds fabulous!
2 months ago sel et poivre
Thank you both! I will try it with fennel seed and maybe scatter some dill on top.
2 months ago inpatskitchen
Let us know how it goes..
2 months ago sel et poivre
Finally made this for dinner. Like you suggested, I added some fennel seeds before I roasted the celery. And I made a few other changes. I only had 2 smallish potatoes and a couple of sweet potatoes, so I just threw them all in. I also didn't have any cream so I just used milk. A pinch of sugar to round up the flavours and a sprinkle of chilli flakes at the end and guess what? It was so so good! Best soup I've had in ages. Thank you!
2 months ago inpatskitchen
I'm so glad you enjoyed this and I like your modifications!!
3 months ago placidplaid
I will although I will leave the fennel out of the first batch just to get the celery essence.
3 months ago placidplaid
Just found this recipe and I'm looking forward to cooking it up. As a little girl I used to love Campbell's Cream of Celery soup. I wouldn't go for it now but this will be a nice recreation. Can't wait to savor!
3 months ago inpatskitchen
Thanks so much placidplaid! Please let me know how you like it if you do try!
3 months ago carbonarasuz
Susan is a recipe tester for Food52.
Absolutely delicious! A clever way to use up celery, as I always seem to have extra!
3 months ago inpatskitchen
Thanks! I'm so glad you enjoyed this....I always have extra celery too!
4 months ago TeraO
I was required by the homeopathic doctor I was working with to eat 2 cups of cooked celery along with my dinner, this soup came to my rescue! SO glad I can just eat a large bowl of this instead of some cooked celery alone. Thank you, delicious!
4 months ago inpatskitchen
So glad it worked out for you! Thanks so much!
6 months ago lindamettler
Hard to believe that such a simple recipe would yield the most fabulous soup ever. Made this for a dinner party and it was an enormous success. Many thanks for a recipe I'll make again and again.
6 months ago inpatskitchen
I'm sooo glad you enjoyed this. Thank YOU!
about 1 year ago ImprovCuisine
Going on vacation and had some celery to use up. Made this soup and it was DELICIOUS! We had a healthy dinner and now there are leftovers in the freezer for when we get back. I can't wait. Great recipe.
about 1 year ago inpatskitchen
Thank you so much! I'm soo glad you enjoyed it....I could go for some leftover right now myself.
about 1 year ago Jay Schufman
My wife and I are so glad we found this recipe (and this site). Roasted Celery Soup is truly a gourmet delight! ★★★★★ Thank you so much, Pat! You are a wonder!
about 1 year ago inpatskitchen
Thank you so much Jay! This is an unbelievable site (I found it a little more than a year ago).So many great cooks, so much to learn...And welcome to Food52!
about 1 year ago arielleclementine
it's 90 degrees in Austin, but we had this for dinner tonight anyway- what a gorgeous soup!! will make again and again!
about 1 year ago inpatskitchen
Thanks so much arielleclementine! 90 degrees? Whew! Not looking forward to those temps.
2 months ago Ascender
I bet this soup would be equally good served chilled in the summer. Might need a bit more salt served cold.
2 months ago inpatskitchen
I think you're right....celery vichyssoise? Sounds great! I'll have to try it when the weather warms. Thanks for the idea!
about 1 year ago TheWimpyVegetarian
This looks just wonderful, Pat!! Very belatedly, many many congrats to you for your win!
about 1 year ago inpatskitchen
Thank you Susan! I was so surprised (but very happy!).
about 1 year ago savorthis
This does look good. It definitely elevates what seems to be a benign (or in my case, deadly) vegetable. If I had not been sent TWICE to the hospital for allergic reactions to celery, I'd love to try it!
about 1 year ago inpatskitchen
Thank you so much savorthis! So sorry you can't eat celery and so I certainly do understand. I've had a number of allergies myself throughout the course of my life that I've happily and luckily outgrown.
about 1 year ago lakelurelady
I love this soup. The tip about adding celery seeds is a good one. Congrats on a well deserved win.
about 1 year ago inpatskitchen
Thanks! I really appreciate your kind words.
about 1 year ago Kitchen Butterfly
Congrats on a great recipe. Very well done
about 1 year ago inpatskitchen
Thanks so much Kitchen Butterfly
about 1 year ago Texas Ex
Incredibly delicious! Minimal ingredients, easily and quickly prepared. Really reminded me of a great German asparagus soup.
Thanks for a great recipe!
about 1 year ago inpatskitchen
Thanks so much! I'd love to see your German asparagus soup...spent a summer there as an exchange student years and years ago. And I love asparagus soup! Please post!
about 1 year ago krusher
Well deserved win. I love and cook celery soup regularly - Simon Hopkinson's recipe. Your roasting of the celery, fennel (which I had never added but love) and garlic is the genius step with magic results. I will be cooking your recipe from now on. Thank you
about 1 year ago inpatskitchen
Thank YOU krusher!!
about 1 year ago SKK
Hi Pat, I am making your soup for the third time for a dinner party. Love how the simplicity of the recipe produces such depth of flavor and such complexity. And it is easy to roast the vegetables the day before. Congratulations - you certainly deserve this award!
about 1 year ago inpatskitchen
Wow! I am so so glad you're enjoying this..Thanks so much!