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Saturday 10 February 2007

Ugliest root ever



My plan to make leek and potato soup went tits up this arvo when I realised I only had one spud for about 6 leeks. Reinforcement came in the form of celeriac, a root vegetable that looks like a gnarly earth tumour.

As is often the case in life, a festering pikey by appearance can mask a delicate heart. And this is true of the celeriac, which has quite a subtle flavour. It resembles its stalky cousin, celery, but with a lot more personality (especially when teamed with other veggies.)

Combined with the leek, it gave the soup a slightly tangy flavour and it creamed up a treat with the spud. If you're going for a traditional potato and leek, you might not dig the citrusy effect. But for something a little different, I reckon it works.

What I used
A bunch of medium sized leeks
One large potato
One large celeriac
Garlic
A veggie stock cube (I use the organic marigold cubes)


Making it
Slice the leek and garlic and soften in olive oil in your soup pan on med/low (keep the lid on so the leeks don't dry or brown -- add a little water if necessary)
Peel the potato and celeriac and chop into cubes
Add them to the softened leek and let them fry up together for a bit
Pour in enough stock to reach the top veggies without drowning them
Cover and simmer until soft -- preferably the potatoes disintegrate when pushed and the celeriac is squishy
Wizz until it's thick and creamy

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