Recipe of the week: Celeriac Soup with Red Wine

Why Celeriac Soup

Sydney seems to have been stricken with one of the coldest and wettest winters I remember, perfect soup weather!

Celeriac is a great vegetable. Despite their tough skin, inside they are smooth in texture like a parsnip and have a wonderful earthy and pungent celery flavour.

This soup is delicious by itself, but is even better with the peppery, blackcurrant flavours of red wine. I reduce the red wine with a medium sherry until it is thick and syrupy and serve the soup with a little drizzle on the top with a few sprigs of thyme.

Ingredients

3 large celeriac, peeled and sliced
1 large potato, peeled and chopped roughly
2 white onions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, peeled
3 sprigs of thyme
100ml pure cream
1 litre of chicken stock, or water
300ml red wine
200 ml medium sherry
Olive oil
Nutmeg ground
Salt and pepper

Method


Heat oil in a large pot and sauté the onion until translucent and starting to colour. Add the potato, celeriac and thyme and let it cook for another minute.


Cover with chicken stock or water and bring to the simmer. Continue to simmer for a 1/2 hour, add cream and continue to simmer for another 1/2 hour, or until the vegetables are tender.

Blend the soup in a blender, or with a hand mixer and pass through a sieve. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.

For the reduction; simmer red wine and sherry until thick and syrupy. (Make sure to keep an eye on it once it reduces half way because the liquids tend to evaporate very quickly.)

To serve, drizzle with the red wine reduction and a slice of fresh bread.

Serves 3-5.

Bon Appetite.