Soup's up!

This luxuriously smooth and creamy vegetable soup is a perfect way to cap off soup season.

People always talk about the last gasp of summer but really I see every season as having a last hurrah. And since I love a super steamy bowl of hot soup in the winter, spring makes way for that last gasp of soup season. Even though this soup relies on a few hearty winter staples like celeriac and potatoes it has a lovely brightness to it thanks to leeks, whole spices and lemon. It’s plant-based but the luxurious texture and richness from the potatoes will make you swear it has a cup of cream in it.

A few notes about the ingredients:

Leeks: I like to trim and chop them before washing. Put chopped leeks in a bowl, fill with water, swish them around then let the grit settle to the bottom of the bowl. Scoop leeks out and drain before using. This is the best way to ensure you remove all the sandy soil often trapped in leeks.

Celeriac (aka celery root): Like a hard winter squash, celeriac can be a little tricky to peel. My advice is to cut one end off and use it as a flat base. Then cut off the knobby exterior of the bulb starting from the middle of the celeriac down to the cutting board (following the curve of the bulb as you do when you cut the peel off an orange). Continue to cut off the exterior (revealing the white interior) from the bottom half of the celeriac, turning and trimming as you work your way around. Once the bottom half is fully peeled, cut the other end off, place the celeriac on that cut end and repeat trimming around the other side. 

Potatoes: No need to peel! Leave on the skins for some extra vitamins and try to cut the potatoes and celeriac to about the same size so they cook at about the same pace.

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Velvet Soup

Serves 4

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• 2 leeks, 6 oz total (white and pale green parts), ends trimmed, then halved lengthwise and sliced

• 2 large garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

• ½ teaspoon whole cumin seeds

• ½ teaspoon whole coriander seeds

• 24 oz celeriac, peeled and roughly chopped (18 oz. peeled or slightly over 4 cups chopped celeriac)

• 1 pound yukon gold or red potatoes, roughly chopped (no need to peel)

• 5 cups water

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 1 lemon

• Crunchy Topping such as crushed crostini, croutons, pita chips or even plain potato chips for serving

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1. Heat olive oil in a medium dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. Add leeks and cook until softened and starting to brown, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, cumin and coriander seeds and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add celeriac and potatoes. Cook, stirring to coat, about 1 minute.

2. Pour in water, 2 teaspoons salt and a couple of grinds of black pepper. Bring to a boil then simmer, partially covered, until vegetables are tender, about 20-25 minutes.

3. Remove from heat and let cool slightly before carefully pureeing in a blender (a Vitamix does the best job of making an ultra smooth puree!) Season to taste with more salt and pepper and serve with a squeeze of lemon and a drizzle of olive oil. Sprinkle on the crunchy topping of your choice!

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Bonus! For delicious, perfect crostini, thinly slice a baguette on the bias. Toss slices with a generous glug of olive oil, a few whole fresh thyme sprigs and a couple crushed cloves of garlic. Lay out the slices without overlapping on a baking sheet and season well with salt and pepper. Bake at 350° until bread is golden brown. They will crisp even more as they cool and can be stored in an air tight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.