Celeriac Soup with Coriander and Chilli

Sackville's Note:

I created this for a contest for a British cooking magazine. It's a spicy soup with a Middle Eastern flavour, great for warming your belly when the cold weather rolls in. You could also substitute a root vegetable like turnip for the celeriac.

• Total Time: 30 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 3

• 1 medium onion , finely chopped
• 1 red chile , finely chopped (I leave half the seeds in but you can remove them all if you prefer)
• 2 -3 cloves garlic , finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 ½ lbs celeriac , peeled,trimmed and cut into cubes
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup water
• ¼ cup fresh coriander , chopped
• 1⁄3; cup whole milk
• salt & freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan, sauté the onion, chilli and garlic in the olive oil for 2-3 minutes over a medium high heat.
2. Stir in the cumin and season with salt and pepper.
3. Add the celeriac, along with the chicken broth and water.
4. Bring up to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover the pan and let simmer for 10-15 minutes or just until the celeriac is cooked.
5. Remove from the heat and use a handblender or food processor to puree the soup until smooth.
6. Stir in most of the chopped coriander and milk.
7. Adjust the seasoning with more salt and pepper, if needed.
8. Ladle into bowls, sprinkle over a few coriander leaves and serve immediately.

Reviews

[Elly in Canada]

Excellent soup,very tasty,I purchased 1 celeriac which was not enough to make a creamy soup, so added 2 potatoes (diced) and then blended - the result was a great tasting soup, I used a whole red pepper, we like it hot!

[Mirj]

This recipe should have won that contest (how did it do, BTW?). I used vegetable broth instead of chicken, and substituted cream for the milk. I've been growing my own coriander hand added a healthy handful. I also used a Moroccan hot pepper, scraping the seeds so the soup wasn't that "hot", more mellow. I love the different flavors of the celeriac and the coriander and the chili pepper, this is a great soup!

[jenessa]

i liked it, i definitely think that a roasted aneheim chili would be the better way to go flavor wise. next time that's what i'll do. DH did not care for it, but he wasn't sure why. yeah, that's what i deal with.