I’ve fallen in love with soup all over again while I’ve been recovering from surgery. It’s such a good way to deliver nutrients into your system when your digestion is compromised by trauma and antibiotics. Friends have provided delicious new recipes and I’ve rediscovered some old ones – like this blue cheese and celery soup that I haven’t made for years.
Ingredients
- 50g butter
- 450g organic celery (approx 1 large head)
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 1 pint vegetable stock (or Marigold bouillon)
- 150ml single cream
- 150g blue cheese – I used Saint Agur but any blue will do according to your taste
- salt and pepper
Method
- Gently heat the butter in a heavy based saucepan. Remove the leaves and base from the celery and chop quite thinly. Stir the little green crescents into the pan with the chopped onion and a pinch of salt, give it all a good stir, put the lid on and leave it to gently sweat for 15 minutes.
- Uncover and add the stock and bring it up to a gentle simmer. Put the lid back on, reduce the heat, and cook gently for 30 minutes more.
- Take the pan off the heat and stir in the cream before crumbling the cheese into the mix. Then, using a blender or stab mixer, process the soup until it’s a smooth as you like it.
- After this point the soup should not be re-boiled, but return it to the hob to heat very gently to serving temperature. This is the time to test the seasoning and add some black pepper or a little more salt.
- Serve garnished with the chopped celery leaves, or some flaked almonds.
Variations
The original recipe called for a potato to give more body to the soup. I don’t tend to have them sitting around any more but if you want a thicker, sweeter consistency you can add half a cup of peas to do a similar job.
The Power Recipes 