Why this recipe works Canned cream of celery soup, which seems most often to be used in casseroles, bears scant evidence of its namesake vegetable. To make a flavorful homemade version worthy of its name that we’d be proud to serve on its own, we used a generous 12 ribs of celery. We employed butter, flour, and cooked potatoes to add thickness and body, and sage, bay leaf, and a possibly surprising but definitely effective bit of sugar to round out the flavors. A judicious amount of cream stirred in at the end made it oh-so rich.
Serves: 6 to 8
Total time: 1 hour
INGREDIENTS:
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 12 celery ribs, chopped
- 1 pound russet potatoes, peeled, quartered, and sliced thin
- 2 onions, chopped
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons dried sage
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ cup heavy cream
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Melt butter in Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add celery, potatoes, onions, sugar, sage, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper and cook, covered, until celery and onions are softened, about 15 minutes.
- Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Stir in broth and bay leaf, bring to simmer, and cook, uncovered, until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.
- Discard bay leaf. Working in batches, process soup in blender until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Return soup to clean pot, stir in cream, and bring to brief simmer over medium heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.
