Creamy Celery and Garlic Soup, annotated
1 Tablespoon grapeseed or canola oil
1 bunch green onions, chopped, or 1 small onion, chopped (We prefer green onions)
1 head garlic, cloves separated and peeled (That’s right: a whole head of garlic!)
1 bunch celery, sliced, leaves removed
1 large potato, peeled and diced (We don’t peel our potatoes…)
7 cups water or veg broth (We use water)
2-3 vegetable bouillon cubes (We use 2 Knorr Veg. Bouillon cubes. You might have a healthier alternative)
2 sprigs fresh parsley
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste (There’s plenty of sodium in the celery and bouillon; We never need to add any)
Heat the oil in a large soup pot and sauté the onion until tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic and celery and sauté for another 2 minutes. Add the potato, water, veg bouillon cubes, and parsley, and bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer 30 minutes. Remove the parsley and discard (We like to leave it in. You can also use dried parsley if that’s all you have). Remove from the heat, add salt to taste and puree in a blender (We bought an immersible blender – We much prefer that because there’s less cleanup), in batches. Return to the pot and heat through. Add pepper to taste, adjust the salt, and serve. (Again, no added salt needed.)
—Martha Rose Shulman, from Fast Vegetarian Feasts
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