Celery Root Bisque

Submitted by: Richard Hammond

Servings: Serves 8 as a Soup Course

Ingredients: 2 large celery roots (aka knob celery or  celeriac)
2 quarts no-sodium chicken broth
1 bunch leeks, white part only
1 bunch parsley root
2 large golden delicious apples
6 oz. raw walnuts
4 tbsp. chicken fat (schmaltz)
½ cup EV olive oil
6 large branches fresh rosemary
1 lemon + ¼ oz. pkg. fresh bay leaves
1 tsp. coarse sea salt
Fine sea salt and fresh ground white pepper to taste

Instructions: Pre-heat the oven to 200° F.

Break off the roots from the parsley stems, thoroughly wash the roots and drain them on kitchen towels.  Wash the parsley stems in a deep pot of cold water using your hands to agitate the water.  Let any sand settle to the bottom, remove the stems and shake off as much water as you can.  Let the stems dry on more kitchen towels.

Cut the green tops off the leeks and discard, then use a sharp paring knife to split the leek down the middle lengthwise.  Dunk the split leeks one at a time in the deep pot of cold water, massaging the layers with two hands to release any trapped sand.  Place the washed leeks on the towels with the parsley roots to dry.

If the celery roots were not trimmed by your grocer break off or trim any dangling roots and wash the celery roots under warm running water, rubbing them with your hands vigorously to loosen any dirt.  Then place the cleaned roots on the kitchen towels to dry with the parsley stems.

Place the chicken broth in a medium stockpot over low heat and add the bay leaves.  Discard any damaged parsley leaves or stems and give the rest a rough chop.  Add them to the broth and keep this broth warming gently on a back burner until you’re ready to cook the vegetables.

Lay the flat side of the leeks on a cutting board and cross-cut into 1” half-moons starting from the trimmed end and working to the root.  Stop before the root end and toss these end pieces into the stockpot.  Leave the sliced leeks on the board until you’re ready to cook them.

Fill a large mixing bowl half full of cold water and drop in one tray of ice cubes.  Bring about two cups of water to a rapid boil in a small saucepan.  De-bitter the rosemary by grasping the 6 branches with tongs, dunking them in the boiling water for 3 to 4 seconds and dropping them into the ice bath for just 15 to 20 seconds.   Keep this ice water for another use.

Lay the bunch of rosemary on thick kitchen towels and pat them dry.  Turn off the burner, dump the boiling water and thoroughly dry the saucepan.  Allow the rosemary to air dry on another clean dry towel.

Wash the walnuts in warm water, drain and lay them on a small baking tray.  Bake them for 15 to 20 minutes in the pre-heated oven on the middle rack.  Put on a buzzer while you proceed to the next steps.  When the timer goes off, remove the walnuts and allow them to cool on their tray.

Meanwhile, cut the lemon in half and squeeze one half through a small sieve into the reserved ice water.  Use a vegetable peeler to peel the parsley roots and toss each one into the lemon water so that you can work on the parsley roots without them turning brown.

Slice off all the heads and any skinny tails and toss these into the stockpot.  Then rough chop one root into 1” chunks, put them into the lemon water and repeat for the remaining parsley roots.

Split the celery roots in half and place the four pieces into the lemon water.  Peel one half at a time and quickly dice the celery root into 1” chunks.  Return the diced celery root to the lemon water and repeat this process for the remaining pieces.

Next, add the olive oil to the small saucepan and place on a warming burner over low heat to maintain about 180 degrees F.  Place the rosemary in the oil and warm gently for about an hour.  Take off the heat and allow it to cool.  Stir in the contents of one capsule of vitamin E (400 units) then strain the rosemary oil into a plastic squeeze bottle and leave it out until service.  After dinner keep it refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.

Squeeze the other half of lemon into a medium glass mixing bowl, removing any seeds.  Cut one apple into fourths and use a paring knife to peel and core one quarter.   Put this piece in the glass bowl and stir to coat with lemon juice.  Repeat with the remaining quarters and the second apple.  Stir the apples around periodically to keep them moistened with the lemon juice.

By this time the parsley stems, root trimmings and bay leaves have given up their flavors, so strain the broth into a stainless mixing bowl and let it rest on the counter a few minutes.  Discard all the vegetables.

Place a large enameled Dutch oven on medium-low heat; add the schmaltz, the leeks and a large pinch of sea salt.  Stir occasionally and sweat the leeks until they are wilted, about 10 to 15 minutes.  Do not let them brown as they will turn bitter.

Pour the lemon water with the root vegetables into a large colander in the sink and pick it up with both hands and shake out as much water as you can.  Pour out the drained vegetables into the Dutch oven.  Add the reserved broth, raise the heat to medium and then adjust to simmer the soup for 30 minutes or so until the vegetables are getting tender, stirring occasionally.

Add the apples and their lemon juice to the simmering soup and cook for another 15 minutes or so until all the vegetables and apples are very soft.  Turn off the burner, cover the Dutch oven and let the soup stand while you make the walnut butter.

Place the walnuts and the coarse sea salt in a blender and turn to the highest speed.  Add 1 or 2 tablespoons of hot water through the top cover cap to get the walnut butter started.  Stop the blender and scrape down the sides once or twice with a rubber spatula and blend again until the walnuts are smooth and creamy.

Pick up the blender cup and use the spatula to scrape the walnuts into the Dutch oven.  Now use an immersion blender to purée the entire soup as smooth as you can make it.  Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning with additional sea salt and fresh cracked white pepper.

Serve immediately in heated bowls and garnish with a generous drizzle of the rosemary oil.

Robb Wolf

Robb Wolf, author of The Paleo Solution and Wired to Eat, is a former research biochemist and one of the world’s leading experts in Paleolithic nutrition. Wolf has transformed the lives of tens of thousands of people around the world via his top ranked iTunes podcast and wildly popular seminar series.