Celery Soup with blue cheese & bacon
A beautifully creamy soup with a subtle taste of celery. Serve with cubes of blue cheese to melt in plus crispy smoked bacon for a real Autumn or Winter treat.
Ingredients
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 40 g butter
- 2 medium onions roughly chopped
- 250 g celery stalks finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic finely chopped
- salt & pepper
- 1 medium potato 150-200g peeled or unpeeled, diced small
- 2 handfuls celery leaves roughly chopped
- 250 ml chicken or vegetable stock
- 250 ml whole milk
- 50 ml double cream (optional: you can increase the milk/stock by 50ml instead)
Toppings (optional but recommended)
- 50 g blue cheese (e.g. Dovedale Blue, Stilton) diced small
- 2 - 4 rashers smoked bacon, cooked until crispy diced small or crumbled
- celery leaves finely chopped
Instructions
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Heat the oil and butter in a saucepan.
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Add the prepared onions, celery stalks and garlic. Season with salt and pepper.
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Cook, stirring now and then, until the vegetables are starting to soften and brown (10-15 min).
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Stir in the potato and celery leaves and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring often.
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Stir in the stock and milk, put a lid on and bring to a boil. Immediately turn down the heat and simmer until the vegetables are tender (10-15 min).
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Remove from the heat and, using a stick blender, liquidize until smooth.
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Stir in the double cream if using and gently reheat. Taste, add more seasoning if necessary.
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Divide between bowls and serve with any or all of the optional toppings.