Ingredients
600g celeriac, we used 3 medium ones
300g Jerusalem artichokes, we used 3
3 tbsp olive oil
1 brown onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 tsp ground cumin
500ml stock
250 ml water
200g cream
50g parmesan, finely grated
Salt
Pepper
1/2 cup sunflower seeds, toasted
50g Butter (optional)
Summary
A whiskery celeriac and a nobbly bobbly Jerusalem artichoke arrive in your Fair Food order – what do you cook? We consulted fellow Fair Fooder and great cook Citu, who went about creating this creamy, earthy, delicious soup that features both – hurrah! The browned butter isn’t essential, but once you’ve tried it, you’ll add it to every meal.
Citu’s Celeriac and Artichoke Soup
Preheat the oven to a low 180ºC
Begin by trimming the woody ends off the celeriac and roughly chopping it into chunks. Place chunks on a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast for 35-40 minutes until fully cooked and golden.
Peel artichokes; this is a bit fiddly, but it’s best to get most of the skin off as it can be overwhelmingly earthy and stringy. Roughly chop and set aside.
Warm the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and a pinch of salt and cook gently until translucent, about 10 mins. Add garlic and cook for a further 3 mins until fragrant, then stir through the cumin and allow to bloom for a minute or so.
Add the roasted celeriac, artichokes, stock and water, season with pepper and salt and simmer gently until artichokes are completely soft, around 30 mins.
Using an immersion (or regular) blender, blitz the soup until it’s a smooth puree. Return the pan to low heat and add the cream and parmesan cheese and stir to combine.
Browned butter:
To make browned butter, heat a thick-bottomed pan on medium heat. Add the butter (if you slice it, it will melt more evenly), swirling the pan frequently. Continue to cook the butter. Once melted it will foam up a bit, then subside. Watch carefully as lightly browned specks begin to form at the bottom of the pan. Smell the butter; it should have a nutty aroma. Pour into a bowl to stop the butter from cooking further (it’s easy to burn).
Ladle soup into bowls, drizze with a teaspoon of browned butter and sprinkle with toasted sunflower seeds.
