Is it soup yet? Celery root and celery soup

It's winter, ragazzi, as if Annalena needed to tell you that, and the recipes on her blog which get the most hits - are the soups.  You may well imagine Annalena's surprise when she saw the number of people who had investigated her celery soup recipe, from a few weeks ago.    Well, she's back with the celery, a result of overzealous  representation in her CSA  (celery seems to have become the kale of 2015 for Annalena),  combined with one of her favorite neglected vegetables:  celery root.

Celery root, or celeriac:

 Annalena has written often of various uses for celery root.  Many people restrict its use to soup, and in Annalena's mind, that is actually fine.  Celery root makes fine soup, and we're going to make some today.

Unlike Jerusalem artichokes, which have nothing to do with artichokes, celery root IS the root of a celery plant.  The celery which grows form it, however, looks nothing like the celery you bring home and eat to fill your stomach when you diet.    You will see the green version sold, sometimes, as "soup celery."  The greens have a strong flavor, and they do not "crunch" because they do not form the stalk we are used to.  The roots of THAT celery are stringy and inedible.    So,  look for these, but do not look for them to be connected to a celery.    And do not look for them before mid autumn.  You may look for them all winter long, as they keep well. And you will be glad you did.

Peeling these guys takes some work.  You will break your vegetable peeler if you try to use that (trust Annalena on that one), so get out a big, strong knife, and be fearless.  And to make two quarts of soup, you will need about two pounds of celery roots.  Here, size does not matter, and you can very easily find a two pound celery root.  In Annalena's experience, however, the bigger the celery root, the more likely to find some nastiness at the core.  So she got small ones from her friend Dave the farmer, took them home, and got to work, peeling and cutting:

These are in a pot of salted water, and they come to a simmer, and cook until they are still "al dente," but getting to the soft side of things.   

Prior to putting them in the water, however, measure the volume of them you have.  Then, chop up some celery, to make 3/4 to equal the volume of the root:

Use the leaves.  They're good.  

When the root is fairly soft, drain it,  and then get a big pot ready, with two tablespoons of vegetable or olive oil.  Add the celery, and saute' it, until it just about begins to soften.  Then add the celery root.  Toss this all around, and add a quart of liquid:  chicken stock, water, vegetable stock, will all work.  Cover the pot, lower the heat, and go about your business for about half an  hour. 

Come back, and check the celery root itself: is it so soft that it's beginning to truly fall apart? If it is, then you can stop cooking.  Let this cool, because you're going to be pureeing.  

Now, Annalena must give you a warning:  celery root purees to a very, VERY thick consistency.  You will almost certainly need to add liquid while it's happening.  Be judicious, but do add it.    And do it in batches, until you have a texture that is a little bit thinner than you would want, finally.  You want a thinner texture, because this will continue to thicken as it sits.  

If, you happen to have some left over potatoes (Annalena had left over colcannon), put that in the soup, too.  And puree it.    The celery per se gives a lovely green color, and the celery root gives a thickness that satisfies.  

Looks good, doesn't it?  It is.  Get out the pots, get some simple ingredients, and get to work.  You'll be REALLY happy with this one.