Serves 2
Ingredients
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 small bunches or 1 large bunch celery with leaves, chopped
1/2 celery root (celeriac), chopped
1 yellow onion + 1 red onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
vegetable stock (didn't measure, sorry)
lots of cracked black pepper
sea salt, to taste
for tempering:
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp nigella seeds
few leaves off celery stalks
Directions
1. Heat the oil in a soup pot and add the chopped onions, reserving some of the red onion for the topping. Cook on medium with a pinch of sea salt until onions have sweat, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the chopped garlic, celery stalks and root with the leaves, reserving a few of the leaves for tempering. Cook, stirring, for another 5 minutes.
3. Add the stock to just cover the celery. I like my soup thick, so this is how much stock I use. If you like thinner soup, add more stock. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes or until the celery is tender.
4. Blend. I suppose it is easiest to do with a hand blender, since there is less clean-up than with a normal blender, but you will get a smoother texture with a normal blender. Just be careful not to burn yourself.
5. Back in the pot, add lots of black pepper and taste to adjust the salt if needed.
6. Prepare the tempering. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and add some of the reserved celery leaves. Fry until crispy and set aside.
In that same hot oil, add the nigella seeds and cook on high until they crackle.. then remove them from heat.
To serve, spoon some of the nigella tempering on top of your soup bowl and add some chopped red onions and crispy celery leaves.