Smoky celeriac soup, rich and nutritious
I absolutely love celeriac! And I think this very nutritious vegetable deserves more credit. Super healthy, low in fat and calories, and most of all very delicious and versatile. This celeriac soup I have combined with smoky paprika, which works like magic.
The flavours of this dish are warm and earthy. The smoked paprika gives it a bit of an East-European feel. I love soups like these to warm me up and give me some comfort on cold days.
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
🥘 Main ingredients
This soup just has only a few ingredients;
- celeriac
- Jerusalem artichokes or potatoes
- onion
- leek
- garlic
- thyme
- rosemary
- smoked paprika powder (sweet)
- mace (or nutmeg)
- vegetable stock
🔪 Instructions
Isn’t it fantastic when you create a tasty meal without spending a long time sweating in the kitchen? This soup basically can be left simmering while you can spent your time doing other things. Overcooking is not a big issue with this soup, so not much to worry about. Then it’s just a matter of cooling, blending, and reheating. The only ‘work’ is a bit of chopping beforehand (which can be done in advance if needed). *Which does remind me to tell you to de-skin the celeriac well. Meaning that the outer layer has to be well removed. So you have to cut quiet a bit away in some areas (all the knobby shaped areas). Otherwise you might end up with a less pleasant bitterness in your soup.
🍷 Wine pairing
I think the creamy celeriac soup with its smoked paprika would pair well with an aromatic white. So think of an Alsatian Gewürztraminer. Or a muscat like the Goldmuskateller from Italy, which is thick and musty. Or the spice fragrant musk from the Malvasia might be your preferred option.
If you prefer red; this dish could pair well with a spicy, earthy but young red. Like a light red from the Languedoc region in France.
💬 FAQ
Celeriac or celery root taste a bit like celery stalks. The taste is overall more earthy, sweeter and has a nutty overtone.
No, In recipes they are not interchangeable. Mainly because of the big difference in texture. Celery is moist and crunchy, while celeriac has more a texture like turnip or carrot and will go creamy while cooking.
Even though they are basically the same plant. The celeriac is cultivated for its root, rather than for its stalks. And vice versa the celery is specifically cultivated for its stalks.
Celeriac can be eaten raw or cooked. Raw it is often used in salads. Rasped it gives a lovely crunch and slight nuttiness to a salad. Cooked Celeriac can be boiled, pureed, stewed, roasted. It can add a lovely velvet texture to a puree, soup, or stew. I often use them as a healthy ‘fries’ substitute. While baking them breaded in the oven… They become crunchy, nutty & low calorie ‘fries’. You can check out how to make celeriac fritters in my vegetable terrine post, in which they are used as a accompaniment.
Enjoy this soup with a nice piece of rustic, or sourdough bread. If you make this recipe; add @haricoco1 to your instagram post, or comment below. I love to share our creations.
📋 Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 small celeriac celery root, peeled and roughly chopped
- 4 small Jerusalem artichokes or potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 leek sliced in rings
- 1 onion thinly sliced
- 2 garlic cloves peeled and thinly sliced
- 2 large sprigs of rosemary
- 2 large sprigs of thyme
- 1 Tablespoon sweet smoked paprika powder
- 1 teaspoon of ground mace
- Salt and pepper
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1250 ml 5 cups home-made vegetable stock
- Garnish; 12 boiled chestnuts jar or toasted hazelnuts, chopped in little pieces
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and add the chopped onion.
- Sauté the onion on low / medium heat until softened , approx. 8 – 10 minutes
- Add the garlic, and stir for another minute.
- Add all the vegetables, the smoked paprika, the mace, and a pinch of salt; give it all a good stir so the aromas of the spices are released.
- Add the home-made vegetable stock, the rosemary and thyme sprigs. Bring to the boil and leave it covered on a low simmer for approx. 30 minutes.
- Check if the vegetables cooked, and let the soup to cool down.
- Once cooled enough, blend everything in your food processor or blender.
- Pour the soup back into a saucepan and reheat.
- Season with salt and pepper, and some extra smoked pepper and/or mace to your own liking.
- Top the soup with the chopped chestnuts (or hazelnuts), a light sprinkle of smoked paprika, and a little rosemary before serving.
