Roasted Celery and Potato Soup | Tried and True Recipes (2024)

FAQs

Do you cook celery before adding to soup? ›

While certain vegetables can work just fine added directly to simmering soups and stews (say, carrots and celery), other vegetables (onions, garlic, and the like) will almost always need at least a brief sweat in a fat-based liquid before adding the remaining ingredients.

Celery stalks often play a supporting (albeit crucial) role in comforting soups and holiday sides, but their sharp herbal flavor takes center stage in this cream of celery soup recipe. To coax the most flavor out of the veg, sauté the chopped celery with a potato and onion in plenty of butter until soft and tender.

It is important that the potatoes not be too finely chopped before cooking. If they are, too much starch will be released into the broth and a gummy texture will result. An unpleasant consistency can also result from the pureeing of the cooked soup.

Just err on the side of caution and use a light hand when you're blending your spuds into the broth, only mixing just until combined, and you'll end up with a silky-smooth pot of soup. You can ensure even better results by using the right kind of potato.

Potatoes, sweet potatoes, winter squash, kale/chard/broccoli rabe stems, broccoli stalks, cabbage—can get added early: They take a while to lose their bite. But quick-cooking things—asparagus, peas, thinly sliced carrots and celery, leaves, small florets—should be saved for the end.

You can, of course, make this veggie soup without roasting the vegetables – just boiling them up with the spices in the stock for 20 minutes will give you a lovely soup. But roasting them? It just adds a wonderful sweet and slightly smoky flavour. You can even enhance that smoky flavour by using smoked paprika.

Now, if the stalks of celery are already cut, there is a better method for storage. Once cut, the stalks will lose moisture at a faster rate, so they are best stored in the refrigerator in a sealed container, submerged in water. This keeps the stalks hydrated and crisp.

Cut the celery lengthwise 3 or 4 times into thin strips with the tip of your chef's knife. Rotate and line the strips together and cross-cut them into small pieces. Small diced celery is great for soups, pasta, jambalaya, and chicken salad, plus so many more recipes.

Herbs: Celery can be seasoned with a variety of herbs such as parsley, thyme, rosemary, and dill. Spices: Celery can be paired with spices such as black pepper, paprika, and celery seed. Nuts: Celery can be paired with nuts such as almonds, cashews, and walnuts for added texture and flavour.

Add Flour Or Cornstarch

You can thicken soup by adding flour, cornstarch, or another starchy substitute. For the best results, never add flour or cornstarch directly to your soup. If you do, it will clump up on top. Instead, ladle a small amount of broth into a separate bowl and let it cool.

What is the best thickening agent for potato soup? ›

Cornstarch is a great option as it is a natural thickening agent, but you'll want to be careful about how much you use. Start with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch whisked together with cold water to create a slurry. Then, gradually add the slurry to the soup, letting it boil for one to two minutes before adding more.

Potatoes that are low-starch and high-moisture hold together better. Yukon Gold potatoes are on the medium-starch side and will hold their shape in soups. Red potatoes fall into the low-starch category, as do smaller, newer potatoes. Fingerling potatoes will do well in soups, as will long white potatoes.

Perhaps the simplest approach is to flavor your soup with salt throughout the cooking process. Instead of waiting until the end of cooking to realize your soup lacks taste, you can add a bit of salt during each phase of cooking. Doing so will help bring out the flavors of each of the ingredients.

It's possible that the variety of potatoes you used may have a firmer texture, even when fully cooked. For soups, it's generally recommended to use russet or Yukon Gold potatoes, as they tend to break down and become softer when cooked.

If a soup is tasting bland in the bowl, consider adding acid rather than salt. A squeeze of lemon or lime, or a dash of yogurt or sour cream can add brightness to the bowl.

Celery can be eaten raw or cooked. Celery brings texture and a mild flavor to salads, hors d'oeuvres, soups, stuffings, stews, and stock. It can be steamed, braised, or sautéed and served as a side dish. Celery tastes best when it comes to harvest in cool weather, late spring, or in autumn.

You should. Traditionally, a mirepoix is made: diced onion, carrot, celery. Cooked SLOWLY in a sauce pan until the start to sweat, over medium-low heat for 10 minutes or so, stirring often — then added to the soup.

Boiling celery is a simple yet effective method that allows the vegetable to soften and release its rich aroma into the soup.