As fall comes around and the weather gets cooler, there's just nothing quite like putting a good soup on the table.
This month's featured ingredient is celeriac — commonly known as celery root — and Chef Blake Eckenrod incorporated it into a delicious (and easy!) vegetable soup.
You can read more about celeriac in our featured ingredient article by registered dietitian Olivia Hutchinson.
By Chef Blake Eckenrod
Serves 6
1 celeriac, peeled and large diced
2 large carrots, peeled and large diced
4 Yukon Gold potatoes, skin on
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 shallots, peeled and chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 cup apple juice
3 cups vegetable stock
¼ cup heavy cream
6 sprigs of thyme
1 small bunch of sage, divided
Sea salt, to taste
Fresh black pepper, to taste
Preheat oven to 425°F.
In a mixing bowl, toss together the celeriac, carrot, and potatoes in 4 tablespoons oil, salt, and pepper. Lay them out on a sheet pan and roast in the oven for 45 minutes.
When the vegetables are done roasting, set aside, and remove the skin from the potatoes.
In a large pot, sweat shallots and garlic in oil. Add the roasted vegetables, potatoes, vinegar, and apple juice. Once the apple juice is reduced by half, add the vegetable stock and heavy cream.
Make a sachet bag by laying your thyme and sage in cheese cloth and tying all four corners together with butcher's twine, leaving out some sage leaves for garnish. Place in the pot, allowing it to steep in the soup as it simmers. Remove the bag and blend the soup with an immersion blender. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Place a small pan over medium heat and add remaining olive oil. Once it’s hot, add the remaining sage leaves. Allow the leaves to crisp up for 15 to 20 seconds and use as a garnish on your soup.