Summary
As we crawl into the deep depths of Winter there is nothing more comforting than a hot bowl of soup to spread a much needed warmth through our body. There a literally hundreds of different varieties. Simple or complicated, traditional or more exotic, whatever the choice, at this time of year soup is like a well needed hug that radiates from the inside. Playing around with the different combinations not only means that they can be made to suit all dietary choices, but they can also be combined prescriptively for different chronic disorders and health issues.
Soups can also be batch made and frozen, making them an excellent choice whilst planning ahead for a couple of weeks. They can simple be taken from the freezer the night before and reheated once thawed. The portability of soups makes them an excellent choice either for work lunchtime, or if travelling. They can be heated and poured into a stainless steel flask ready for later.
The base for a soup is pretty much the same whatever you are cooking. It includes onion, garlic, celery, leek and often a carrot if you have one. Using homemade stock from bone broth not only improves the flavour, but also increases the nutritional content. Bone broth can also be bulk made and frozen for use whenever you need it.
Soups really are so simple to make, so again it is more of an idea and demonstration of how to combine ingredients than a cooking lesson! There is no doubt that celeriac is one ugly looking vegetable, but trust me when its cooked you will never judge a vegetable by its appearance again. It has a slightly nutty flavour and with the texture of a potato it makes a great substitute for its more starchy counterpart. Not only does it taste great, it is in season too! Balancing out the flavour with the sweetness of apple, then adding the seasonal flavours of sage make a great combination. To enhance that nutty flavour, toasted walnuts were sprinkled over the top. All in all, a great seasonal combination!
Ingredients
- Serves 3
- 1 celeriac
- 1 white onion
- 1 leek
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 stick of celery
- 1 apple ( I used Braeburn, but you can use granny smiths for a sharper flavour)
- 750ml vegetable or chicken stock
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 sage leaves.
- 2 - 3 crushed walnuts.
Method
- Chop the onion, leek, celery and garlic. Set aside.
- Peel, core the apple and chop.
- Chop the celeriac into cubes.
- Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat.
- Add the onion, garlic, leek and celery. Cook until softened.
- Heat the stock in a saucepan and add the onion, garlic, leek and celery.
- Add the celeriac and apple.
- Cover and simmer for around 20-30 mins until the celeriac has softened.
- Blitz with a hand blender to desired consistency.
- Heat the frying pan and heat the sage leaves until they turn crispy. Crush the walnuts and add to the frying pan, heating them through.
- Pour the soup into a bowl, top with the walnuts and crushed sage leaves.
- If you have any leftovers pop in the fridge or freezer for another day.
Nutritional Content (per serving)
Calories
323kcal
Fat
16g
Sat Fat
2.5g
Protein
11g
Carbs
32g
Sugar
20g
Fibre
5g
