Good thing I love soup; I’ve certainly eaten a lot of it this week!
Today at Healthy Green Kitchen we’ve got another yummy seasonal recipe, straight from the menu of one of my favorite local eateries, The Village TeaRoom, Restaurant and Bake Shop in New Paltz, NY.
If you belong to a CSA or if you frequent farmers’ markets, you’ve likely become familiar with celery root (aka celeriac) lately. If not, here’s a little bit of info about this somewhat funny looking vegetable.
Celery root has a mild flavor and is said to taste like a cross between celery and parsley. It has very firm flesh and may be eaten raw in salads; it is also frequently cooked and then mashed/puréed. Unlike most of the other root veggies, though, celery root is low in starch. It’s got a thick skin that is somewhat difficult to peel; I find it easier just to slice it off.
In this recipe, celeriac marries beautifully with potatoes, wild rice, and kale to create a wonderful seasonal soup. I enjoyed this so much I think I am going to serve it again with Thanksgiving dinner.
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Since one cannot live on soup alone, make sure to check out tomorrow’s post for a delicious and decadent dessert recipe that’s also perfect for Thanksgiving!
Recipe for Celery Root, Kale and Wild Rice Soup
Ingredients
- *1/2 cup wild rice
- *2 large leeks white part only, cleaned and chopped
- *sea salt and pepper to taste
- *1 pound celery root peeled and chopped into bite-sized pieces
- *1 1/2 cups potatoes peeled and thinly sliced
- *1 celery rib diced
- *1 bay leaf
- *leaves from 1 large thyme sprig
- *1/4 cup chopped parsley
- *1 bunch kale washed, ribs removed and sliced in ribbons
- *1 oz. butter preferably organic
- *6 cups vegetable or chicken stock or part stock and part water
- *1/2 cup half and half preferably organic
Instructions
- 1. Cover wild rice with plenty of water, bring to a boil and simmer for 45 minutes or until tender. (Alternatively, you can cook the rice right in the soup, but you will need to increase the simmering time to 45 minutes-1 hour for the rice to cook fully).
- 2. Melt the butter in a soup pot. Add the vegetables, parsley, bay leaf, thyme and 1 tsp. salt.
- 3. Cook over medium – high heat for 5 minutes, then add the stock.
- 4. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the half and half and simmer until vegetables are tender.
- 5. Taste and adjust seasonings.
- Before serving, remove the bay leaf and add kale and drained wild rice. Heat through.