Celery

When summer comes to an end and the first signs of fall start to show I begin to think differently.

All that my brain is able to come up with is dreaming about large, comfy sofas, soft, cuddly blankets, great books to read, heart-touching movies to watch and – AND – warm cups of soup to eat.

(And, pssst, mulled wine, too.)

For me, that is perfection.

And because I’m not only a hermit but also a photography freak, I’ll be showing you all the yummy soups and all the other comfort dishes that this magical season inspires me to prepare.

Please don’t you get scared by the words ‘hermit’ and ‘freak’ that I’ve just used in the previous sentence.

I don’t really mean them literally.

Hm.

But you know what?

I think I do…

I think I do mean them literally.

These are the ingredients that I’ve gathered to prepare this wonderful soup.

The soup is thick, flavorful, comforting, soul-warming and satisfying – who on Earth would be able to say no to that?

I ask.
Would you like to see how I made it?

Well, come and have a look – I’ll be more than happy to show you!

1. First, peel, wash and dice up the potatoes.

To dice the potatoes, cut them in half, then place each half face down on your cutting board and slice it into half again horizontally. Continue and cut it into strips lengthwise and, holding the strip together, slice across them to achieve these cute little dices.

2. Throw the potato dices into a pot.

3. Wash and slice the celery stalks.

Please, please, don’t omit these. You’ll be amazed by how much flavor they add to the soup. They pretty much make up for the homely feeling that this soup delivers.

And if you happen to buy celery stalks along with the root, just like I did, then you can use the root in this delicious Tuna Sandwich.

4. Grab the onion, peel it and chop it finely.

Chop, chop, chop.

A yellow nail polish is not necessary in the whole process, though it might help a little. I just don’t now how yet.

5. Add the onions and the celery to the pot.

6. Peel the garlic cloves and press them into the pot.

…

7. These are basil leaves.

I’ve bought a basil plant recently and can’t get enough of it.

There’s nothing like the smell of fresh basil – it is strong and sweet and bright. And that brightness exactly works perfectly in thick soups to ‘lift’ and balance the taste.

8. Finally, add the chicken broth and place the pot over medium heat.

Let cook until all the ingredients are soft – this process should take about 15 minutes.

9. In the meantime, in a saucepan or a pan, melt the butter.

10. When the melted butter starts to sizzle, stir in the flour to make a roux.

Cook the roux for a minute or two, stirring every few seconds so it doesn’t brown.

11. Pour in milk at once while stirring.

Continue to heat over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or a whisk, until the milk mixture is thick and bubbly.

12. Using an immersion blender, carefully process the potato-vegetable mixture in the pot until the mixture is smooth.

13. Pour thickened milk mixture into the potato mixture.

14. And give it all one more stir.

If the mixture is very thick, add additional broth till desired consistency is reached.

Taste for seasonings and add salt and pepper to adjust.

This is beyond delicious.

Try it, you’ll be happy.

Enjoy, dear friends.

Love,

Petra

(This recipe was adapted from Eat Real.)