Towards the end of September, we can look forward to an abundance of winter vegetables. Such as - potatoes, leeks and celery (root,) which are available from October through March and are in abundance and being at their best!

So, why not take advantage of that and add this Cream of Celery Soup recipe into your repertoire for the coming winter months. My soup combines celery, potatoes and leeks as the stars of the show, along with fresh thyme, garlic and onions. Combining these three seasonal veggies, this recipe gives you a vitamin C powered soup along with iron, fiber, potassium, phosphorous and folate, adding a boost to your immune system.

Although I made this a 'creamy' version, you certainly can omit this if you wish. Either way, this soup is delicious, warming, and nutritious making you go back for more. I made a large batch as always, but if you have a small family you can cut this recipe in half. Enjoy!




Ingredients

12 tbsp. unsalted butter
Garlic
4 cups celery, diced
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 cups leeks, white and light green, diced
1 large russet potato, diced small
10 thyme sprigs or 1 tsp. dried
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp. kosher salt
2 tsp. ground black pepper
12 cups chicken broth or stock
1/4 to 1/2 cup heavy or light cream (optional)


Method

1. In a large pot, melt the butter gently over a medium heat (do not brown) and then add the celery, onions, leeks, potatoes, garlic, thyme sprigs and the bay leaf. Cook gently until the vegetables are tender, approximately 8 minutes stirring occasionally. Do not brown the veggies - if the heat seems too high, turn it down a little.

2. Season the veggies with salt and pepper and then add the broth or stock. Stir well to combine and cook for 10 to 15 minutes more. Remove the pot from the heat and ladle 4 cups of the veggies into a small bowl (or 2 cups) if you are making half of this recipe. Have another large bowl or pot standing by for the next step if you are going to use a countertop kitchen blender.

3. Blend the rest of the soup with an immersion blender right in the pot. If you are using a countertop kitchen bender, blend in small batches only filling the device three quarters of the way. Remember, this is hot liquid and it will expand. Place a towel over the top of the lid when blending. Add the blended batches to the bowl and then return to the soup pot along with the reserved cups of veggies. Heat through, remove the pot from the stove and stir in the cream until well blended.

Serve with hot, crusty, toasted bread and enjoy!