Tuesday 6 February 2007

Cream of Celeriac Soup with Crispy Bacon


This week I had the most enormous celeriac in my organic delivery box! Because the potatoes I've been getting have been perfect on their own as 'mashers', I didn't fancy making a celeriac mash so I thought I'd make a soup of it! :-D
All amounts in this recipe are guesstimates because it was a real case of 'a little bit of this and a bit of that', so play around with it until you get the right consistency.

1 Large Celeriac (chopped into 1" pieces)
1 Medium Onion (diced)
1 Medium Carrot (chopped into 1" chunks)
2 Cloves Garlic
1 Bay Leaf
1/2 tsp Thyme
500ml Chicken Stock
1 tbsp Lemon Juice
1 tbsp Olive Oil
100ml Milk
3 tbsp Cream
Salt & Pepper
2 Rashers Bacon (cut into thin strips)

1) Fry the garlic and onion in a little of the oil until softened.

2) Add the carrot, celeriac, bay leaf, thyme, chicken stock and lemon juice; cover and simmer for approximately 30 minutes until the celeriac is tender.

3) Transfer to a bowl and blend in small batches, transfering the smooth soup back to the saucepan.

4) Stir in the milk and cream, seasoning, and reheat gently until hot (but not boiling).

5) Quickly fry the bacon in a little of the oil until crispy and pile on top of the soup.