celeriac soup & chorizo oil
This is a delicious, rich, earthy soup that is as perfect on a warm sunny day as it is in the depth of winter. It’s also incredibly easy to make and only requires a few ingredients. The flavour of the celeriac and rosemary keep the dish feeling fresh, with the cream and butter adding a deep comforting vibe.
I like to crisp up some chorizo in olive oil and drizzle it all over the top. The sweet, spicy flavour works really well with the soup, and makes it all feel a little bit naughty. Just make sure you buy cooking chorizo, in it’s sausage form, rather than the pre-sliced version.
Warm up some bread, or make some fresh focaccia, and you’ll quickly find yourself mopping up the last morsels in your bowl.
for the soup
1 celeriac (roughly 1kg)
2 garlic cloves
25g butter
1 litre chicken stock
75ml whole milk
50ml double cream
2 sprigs of rosemary
salt & pepper
for the chorizo oil
150g cooking chorizo
2tbsp olive oil
2 sprigs of rosemary
method
Start by peeling the celeriac. You might find it easier to cut the skin off with a knife than using a traditional peeler.
Chop the celeriac into cubes of around 1cm in size.
Melt the butter in a large pan over a medium heat, with a little olive oil.
Add the celeriac cubes along with 2 sprigs of rosemary and a good pinch of salt.
Cook this for 15-20 minutes, until the celeriac starts to soften. You want to avoid colouring the celeriac so, if it starts to brown around the edges, add a little water.
Chop the garlic and add this to the celeriac for a minute or two, until it starts to soften ever so slightly.
Add the chicken stock and let it simmer for 10-15 minutes, until the celeriac is very soft.
Remove the rosemary sprigs and add in the milk and cream.
Use a hand blender to blitz it all up into a nice smooth soup.
Season to taste, and keep warm.
Next, chop the chorizo into small chunks. You can do this to preference, but the smaller you chop, the crispier it’ll become.
Cook this in a frying pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil until it goes nice and crispy, and the oil is a rich red colour.
Once it has all crisped up, add the leaves from 2 fresh sprigs of rosemary and allow it to crisp up for a minute or two.
Spoon the soup into a bowl and drizzle your crispy chorizo and chorizo oil on top.
Devour with some warm, fresh bread.
