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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24 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 :)
23 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!
about 1 month ago michellepennie
made this and it was absolutely delicious thanks for the recipes :-)
about 1 month ago inpatskitchen
I'm so pleased you enjoyed this..thanks so much!
2 months ago lindamettler
Perhaps dill? But not too much. Anise? Possibly just celery!
2 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!
12 months 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.
12 months 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!