Celery Soup with Citrus Oil and Croutons
The best medicine you have ever eaten
When it’s as cold as it is now, soup is my food of choice. At home we usually eat soup for dinner. Thomas and I especially like minestrone, Thai soup or creamy vegetable soup. I am always fascinated by how creamy pureed vegetable soups can be without adding extra cream. Incidentally, I only recently discovered my love for celery soup. Most of the time I left the inconspicuous celeriac on the left to grab a bunch of carrots or a couple of sweet potatoes for my next soup. A creamy celery root soup is delicious and has a subtle taste of the essential oils that make celery so special. For people with sensitive stomachs, celery soup is the purest remedy, because celery cares for the gastric mucous membrane, prevents the development of gastric ulcers, regulates gastric acid production in people with a tendency to heartburn and generally has an alkaline effect on the body. I swear that you will feel this good effect immediately while you are eating the soup. By the way, celery was administered as medicine in all ancient healing traditions. In ancient Egypt, it was used to treat rheumatism and gout, which actually makes sense because celery contains a lot of potassium, which detoxifies the body and also removes uric acid from it, which is responsible for the development of rheumatic complaints. Ayurveda uses celery for digestive problems, and traditional Chinese medicine uses it to cure high blood pressure. So it is no exaggeration to say that celery is a perfect remedy in our modern age, when many of us are over-acidic and have one or two digestive, joint or cardiovascular problems.
I like to serve creamy soups with a topping, because I think they can get boring quickly otherwise. After all, the palate and mouth want to be entertained a bit and like to have a different taste or consistency in between. A citrus flavored olive oil goes really well with the celery soup, because it underlines the delicate taste of the root. Add a few homemade croutons to make the soup a little heartier. And the best medicine you have ever eaten is ready!
CELERY SOUP WITH CITRUS AND CROUTONS
Ingredients
For the soup:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion peeled and chopped
- 1 kg celeriac peeled and diced
- 1.5 liters hot water
- 1.5 salt more to taste
For the citrus oil:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/3 tsp lemon oil from the baking department in the organic food store
For the croutons:
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 4 slices bread for example rye, spelt or gluten-free bread, diced into small pieces
Equipment
- blender
Instructions
- For the soup, heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and gently fry the onion for 2 minutes while stirring. Add the diced celeriac and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Deglaze with hot water, add salt and simmer over medium heat with the lid closed for about 20-25 minutes, until the celeriac is soft.
- Puree the entire contents of the pot in a blender until creamy. It is better to puree a little longer than too short, so that the consistency of the soup becomes creamy. Pour the soup back into the pot, add salt to taste if necessary and keep warm.
- For the citrus oil, mix the olive oil with the lemon oil in a small bowl and set aside.
- For the croutons, heat a pan, add the olive oil and stir-fry the diced bread on all sides for about 5 minutes until it is browned and crispy all over.
- Pour the soup into bowls or deep plates, drizzle with the citrus oil and serve garnished with the croutons.
Wellcuisine-Tipp