Tony Jackman’s homemade celery soup. (Photo: Tony Jackman)
Cream of celery soup was a standard soup course in hotel dining rooms in the decades of the mid-20th century. Of all the “cream” soups — including cream of tomato, chicken, or mushroom — this was the simplest yet arguably the most refined.
The “cream of” category of broths simply refers to the fact that dairy cream is used to finish it and give it a silken texture. But not every figure-conscious human wants to consume cream these days.
To achieve the creaminess I wanted without using dairy cream, I used a litre of low-fat milk to which I added 2 bay leaves and celery salt to taste, about a teaspoonful.
To this — while still cold — I added 3 medium potatoes which I had peeled and quartered. The pot then went onto the heat, was brought to a boil, and then simmered until the potatoes were tender. Then I blended this until fine. The result was quite thick, but pourable. Don’t forget to remove the bay leaves before blending.
I made a mild vegetable stock as I did not want the taste of the commercial stock to spoil the pure celery flavour I was looking for. This was also why I used two bunches of celery, including all of their leaves. If you’d prefer a milder celery flavour, just use one bunch instead. This will give you a thinner, milder soup.
For depth of flavour, there is also onion and garlic in the soup, as these alliums almost invariably play a useful role in a soup or stew.
I served the soup with parsley croutons.
Tony’s cream of celery soup
(Makes 4 to 6 servings)
Ingredients
2 bunches of celery, chopped, including leaves
2 onions, peeled and sliced
3 plump cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
3 Tbsp olive oil or butter
1.5 litres vegetable stock made with 2 Ina Paarman vegetable stock sachets, or similar
3 medium potatoes
1 litre milk OR 750ml milk and 250ml cream
2 bay leaves
Celery salt to taste
Fine table salt, to taste
Black pepper to taste
Parsley croutons:
2 slices brown or wholewheat bread
½ cup finely chopped parsley
Cooking oil, about 3 Tbsp
Salt and black pepper, lightly
Method
Pour the milk (or milk and cream) into a large pot and season with celery salt. Add 2 bay leaves.
Peel the potatoes, onions and garlic. Cut the potatoes into four and put them in the pot with the milk (or milk/cream).
Put it on the heat, bring it to a boil (watch it like a hawk so it doesn’t boil over), then turn the heat down to a simmer and continue cooking, half-covered with a lid (if the lid is on tight, it will boil up and force the lid to rise, the milk will boil over and drip down the side of the stove, which will frighten the cat, which will leap onto a table and knock the sugar onto the floor, whereupon the dog will trot in to see what all the fuss is about and there’ll be a rowdy cat-and-dog fight). So just leave the lid ajar.
Continue cooking until the potatoes are soft (prick them with a skewer or fork). When tender, cool a little, remove the bay leaves, and blend with a hand-held stick blender. Reserve.
Heat a soup pot and add 3 Tbsp olive oil or butter. Add the onions and garlic and cook gently, stirring now and then, until the onions have softened and taken on a hint of colour.
Add all of the chopped celery at once, stir, season generously with salt and black pepper, and continue cooking, while stirring now and then, until the celery stalks have started to tenderise.
Boil a kettle, squeeze the contents of 2 vegetable stock sachets into a 2-litre jug or bowl, add the boiled water and stir.
Pour the stock into the soup pot, stir, bring to a boil, then reduce to a brisk simmer. Continue to cook for about 10 minutes, then blend.
Pour the milk-potato mixture into the soup, stir very well, bring to a boil, reduce to a brisk simmer, and cook for 5 more minutes.
Taste the soup and season again if needed.
For the croutons, slice the bread into small squares, and heat olive oil in a frying pan. Throw in all the bread cubes and two-thirds of the chopped parsley. Stir and toss with a wooden spoon until the bread is nicely toasted all over. Season with salt and black pepper.
Serve the soup with parsley croutons scattered over and a sprinkling of the remaining chopped parsley. DM
Tony Jackman is twice winner of the Galliova Food Writer of the Year award, in 2021 and 2023.
Follow Tony Jackman on Instagram @tony_jackman_cooks.
This dish is photographed in a bowl by Mervyn Gers Ceramics.