Creamy Celery Soup

Excerpted from “Six Seasons” by Joshua McFadden (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2017.

45 mins
Makes 4 servings

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 head celery or 10 stalks of celery, cut into 1-inch pieces, leafy tops chopped and reserved

1 small onion diced

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

6 cups vegetable stock or water

1 cup heavy cream

For the garnish:

1/2 cup roughly chopped, lightly toasted walnuts

1/2 cup raisins, plumped in water for 15 minutes and drained

1 teaspoon celery seed

Extra-virgin olive oil

Put the butter, celery and onion in a large pot over medium heat. Season lightly with salt and pepper and cook the vegetables slowly until they have begun to soften and release their juices, about 8 minutes. Don’t let the vegetables brown at all.

Add the stock, adjust the heat to a simmer, and cook until the celery and onion are completely tender, about 30 minutes. Let the soup cool a bit, then process in a blender to make a smooth puree. You might need to do this in batches.

Meanwhile, toss together the reserved chopped celery leaves, walnuts, raisins and celery seed in a bowl and moisten with a few drops of olive oil.

Return the puree to the pot, add the cream, and bring everything to a low simmer. Cook for about 5 minutes to soften the raw cream flavor. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper. Divide into serving bowls and top with the walnut-raisin mixture.

Note: This soup is so simple and pure in flavor I often serve it unadorned. Make a simple topping with a few torn croutons, a grating of Parmigiano, or a swirl of extra-virgin olive oil, or go all the way with the unexpected sweet and nutty topping.