Puréed Cream of Celery Soup

By
Danilo Alfaro
Danlio Alfaro
Danilo Alfaro
Danilo Alfaro has published more than 800 recipes and tutorials focused on making complicated culinary techniques approachable to home cooks.
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Updated on 07/1/21
Cream of celery soup recipe
Philippe Desnerck / Getty Images
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 20 mins
Total: 30 mins
Servings: 3 to 4 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
268 Calories
19g Fat
20g Carbs
4g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 3 to 4
Amount per serving
Calories 268
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 19g 24%
Saturated Fat 12g 58%
Cholesterol 52mg 17%
Sodium 1072mg 47%
Total Carbohydrate 20g 7%
Dietary Fiber 3g 12%
Total Sugars 6g
Protein 4g
Vitamin C 11mg 57%
Calcium 107mg 8%
Iron 1mg 8%
Potassium 700mg 15%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

This classic cream of celery soup is beautifully aromatic. It makes a great first course and served with a nice crusty bread it's a meal on its own.

Since celery doesn't have much starch in it, and since we don't use any other thickener, a single potato, peeled, diced and simmered along with the celery and other ingredients, is what gives the soup its thickness and body. But go easy on the potato. You're not making potato soup. You want about 200 grams of diced potato, which is roughly equivalent to the yield on a so-called "medium" potato after peeling.

In case you aren't familiar, crème fraîche is very similar to sour cream, with one difference being the fact that unlike sour cream, crème fraîche won't curdle when it's added to a hot soup.

Another easy but elegant garnish is toasted croutons made from day-old baguette sliced on the bias. Drizzle with olive oil and Kosher salt and toast in a 350 F oven until lightly golden brown.

Note that I'm not going to specify what sort of fresh herbs to use. Use whatever you've got. Parsley is great. Chives, thyme, even fresh mint—all good.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound fresh celery stalks

  • 1 medium Russet potato, or other starchy potato

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

  • 1 medium onion, roughly chopped

  • 1 clove garlic, crushed

  • 1/2 cup sherry

  • 1 quart vegetable stock

  • 1 bay leaf

  • Kosher salt, to taste

  • Freshly ground white pepper, to taste

  • 1/2 cup crème fraîche, for garnish

  • Chopped fresh herbs, for garnish

Steps to Make It

  1. Peel the celery stalks with a vegetable peeler to remove the long stringy fibers from the outer edge. Then cut it into chunks about an inch square. Peel the potato and cut it about the same size.

  2. In a heavy-bottomed soup pot, heat the butter over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and celery and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until the onion is slightly translucent, stirring more or less continuously.

  3. Add the sherry and cook for another minute or two or until reduced by about half. Add the stock, bay leaf, and the potato. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until you can pierce the potatoes with the tip of a sharp knife.

  4. Remove the soup from heat and purée with an immersion blender or a regular blender. Return the puréed soup to pot and add more broth or stock to adjust the thickness if necessary. Season to taste with Kosher salt and celery salt, ladle into individual bowls, garnish with crème fraîche and serve.

Use Caution When Blending Hot Ingredients

Steam expands quickly in a blender, and can cause ingredients to splatter everywhere or cause burns. To prevent this, fill the blender only one-third of the way up, vent the top, and cover with a folded kitchen towel while blending.

Recipe Variations