Celeriac soups and the 3rd ingredient
Do you like celeriac, a vegetable that is not always a big hit? If your answer is "no" or "not so much", it is perhaps that you have in mind the celery remoulade, the emblematic starter, with the eggs mimosa, of the bistrot kitchen.
It's very good, well if you like it of course, but it's a bit limited, and there's another aspect of celery that I'd like to talk about with you, and that is that it makes some pretty great soups.
It's very good, well if you like it of course, but it's a bit limited, and there's another aspect of celery that I'd like to talk about with you, and that is that it makes some pretty great soups.
10 K 4.9/5 (17 reviews)
Keywords for this post:Celery rootSoupIngredientMilkMustardTahinehParsleyLast modified on: May 21th 2022
Celeriac soups and the 3rd ingredient
The main advantage is that they all have the same base: we cook the celery cut in small pieces in milk, and when it is quite soft, we mix the whole thing and then we add a third thing, a third ingredient, which makes all the flavor of this declination, accompanying the celery base. It is very simple, easy to make, and delicious.
It's very classic, you peel the vegetable, the skin is hard, thick and the bottom is generally quite earthy, so there is quite a lot of waste, at the end you have to keep only the flesh, very firm, white, of the celery, everything else goes (if possible) to the compost.
It would be a mistake to try to cook large pieces of celery, it will take longer and be very irregular, the time it takes for the heat to reach the heart. To do it right, you need to cut the large pieces obtained after peeling into small pieces, as regular as possible. Unfortunately, there is no trick to this, it is a bit long and tedious, but if you have a mandolin you will save time.
Put your small pieces of celery in a large saucepan, cover with whole milk, salt, pepper, nutmeg if you like, turn on the heat, not too high.
Let it cook at low temperature until the celery is very tender, a knife tip can easily go through it.
This is where the 3rd ingredient comes into play, it is there to accompany the celery, here are 3 examples:
- 2 tablespoons of mustard(recipe)
- 3 or 4 tablespoons of sesame puree or tahineh as shown in the photo(recipe)
- A good bunch of whole parsley (leaves and stems) that has been scalded for 1 minute and then refreshed under cold water(recipe)
As you can see, it's very simple, and there's nothing to stop you from imagining or trying your own 3rd ingredient: Cashew nuts, a little tomato paste, etc. etc. Let your imagination and your taste do the rest.
To sum up: By starting with a simple base, celery cut and cooked in milk, then adding a single third ingredient before blending carefully, you can obtain delicious and easy to prepare soups.
First, the celeriac
It's very classic, you peel the vegetable, the skin is hard, thick and the bottom is generally quite earthy, so there is quite a lot of waste, at the end you have to keep only the flesh, very firm, white, of the celery, everything else goes (if possible) to the compost.
It would be a mistake to try to cook large pieces of celery, it will take longer and be very irregular, the time it takes for the heat to reach the heart. To do it right, you need to cut the large pieces obtained after peeling into small pieces, as regular as possible. Unfortunately, there is no trick to this, it is a bit long and tedious, but if you have a mandolin you will save time.
Then the cooking
Put your small pieces of celery in a large saucepan, cover with whole milk, salt, pepper, nutmeg if you like, turn on the heat, not too high.
Let it cook at low temperature until the celery is very tender, a knife tip can easily go through it.
And finally the association
This is where the 3rd ingredient comes into play, it is there to accompany the celery, here are 3 examples:
- 2 tablespoons of mustard(recipe)
- 3 or 4 tablespoons of sesame puree or tahineh as shown in the photo(recipe)
- A good bunch of whole parsley (leaves and stems) that has been scalded for 1 minute and then refreshed under cold water(recipe)
As you can see, it's very simple, and there's nothing to stop you from imagining or trying your own 3rd ingredient: Cashew nuts, a little tomato paste, etc. etc. Let your imagination and your taste do the rest.
To sum up: By starting with a simple base, celery cut and cooked in milk, then adding a single third ingredient before blending carefully, you can obtain delicious and easy to prepare soups.
Lasts posts
Should potatoes be washed twice?
Let's say you have to make a recipe that includes potatoes, let's say sliced, you'll most likely proceed as follows: Peel the potatoes, wash them, slice them, wash them again, pat them dry and add them to your recipe. But there's a "but": depending on the recipe, the second washing may be a bad...May 19th 20251,909 15
Grilled bacon is much better in the oven
Some recipes call for thin slices of bacon to be cooked and added to the recipe, or to prepare one of those delicious breakfasts known as "à l'Anglaise".April 25th 20251,8595
The thermometer is your friend
There are many recipes or foods that require a (very) precise cooking temperature: foie gras, sugar for caramel, meats and fish, and not forgetting pastries. For these few examples, getting the cooking temperature wrong can spoil the whole recipe or dish: undercooked, it's no good or misses the...April 10th 20252,1795
Travel cakes
You may have come across the term "travel cakes" ("gateaux de voyage" in french) for certain pastries, so let's take a look at what they're all about.January 27th 20253,639
The aromatic power of sugar
In the kitchen, sugar doesn't just sweeten, it also has an exceptional ability to capture flavors. Combined with aromatic ingredients, such as citrus zest, it acts as a veritable sponge for aromas. By taking the time to let the sugar soak up the flavors, you can transform your desserts, making...December 25th 20244,0965
Other pages you may also like
Sausage broth
I've already talked to you about vegetable cooking water, which becomes a precious broth after cooking that would be a shame to throw away. Now let's look at the special case of meat cooking broth, and in particular sausages, which are often poached.June 28th 20238,4825
Cream and sauces
Have you ever wondered why making beautiful tasty sauces is so easy when you use cream? .October 15th 201220 K4.4
Butter doesn't make you fat, unless you eat too much of it.
Whenever I'm discussing cooking and recipes, there is one idea which comes up frequently, like this: "Oh no! But that's got butter in it" (I should add, for the sake of accuracy, that this is something I hear more frequently from women, who are almost all concerned with keeping their figure). ...March 26th 201241 K4.5
Choosing a chopping board
It's a no-brainer, surely? If you want a chopping board, just find a piece of wood, and Bob's your uncle! You can happily chop away with a knife and not damage the table or worktop. But in reality, it's a bit more complicated than that. You need to be careful what you are buying, in particular the...May 8th 201248 K4.6
The 3 kinds of meringue
Meringue – what could be simpler? Just beaten egg whites with sugar added. This makes a fairly stiff mixture which can then be cooked in a cool oven to create those lovely, light confections. But in the world of professional patisserie, meringue comes in three different kinds. Even if the...June 14th 201361 K4.5
Post a comment or question
Follow this page
If you are interested in this page, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the page is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.