Recipe: Fresh Celery Soup

I always get seduced by celery when it pops up in the fall at our farmers’ markets.And this gorgeous example was from Twin Springs Farm. Celery like this should not just be relegated to tuna fish salad or added as an alternative to carrot sticks for dips.  Why it is added to Buffalo Chicken Wings has always been a mystery to me.  Definitely I use it for bouquet garni and throw it in when I make stock with chicken carcasses.  It is used with far more panache than I have in Sicilian cooking – caponata, insalata di olive e sedano,are just two examples.  But this recioe for Celery Soup, from Epicurious (there was another one with celery and bananas which I skipped over)  is delicious hot or cold –  and uses a whole head. Use a good olive oil and either Fleur De Sel or Maldon Salt Crystals as a garnish.  I think more dill mixed in with some of the celery leaves makes a better garnish than was originally suggested. Should you use celery heads in the winter from the grocery store, a quood quality nut oil with matching toasted nuts is also a lovely garnish