Two Soups

I told Layla I was sick, and she said that if she were here, she would make some soup for me. How sweet, I thought. But then (in the next ten seconds or so) she completely forgot about it all and went on talking about her new toy or something.

Kids.

I made these soups in the past days, as part of my quest to finally beat this cold. I'm kind of losing the battle here though - I am beginning to think that the cold will go away when it feels like it and not a moment sooner. But I guess a bowlful of vitamins cannot hurt. One soup has a butternut squash base, and the other a potato base. It was really a lot of fun figuring out ways to serve them. By far, I think these sweet potato chips are a winner. They have a perfect crunch to go with the creamy texture of the soup. 

I also want to take a moment and thank my wonderful husband for doing a lot of painting around the house for me (and this blog). For example, this new white surface in the photos is completely his handiwork (instructions are mine). We have also made two new blue ones - cannot wait to photograph them. As always, there's more to come!

Potato and Celery Root Cream Soup with Sweet Potato Chips

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 medium celery root, peeled and diced
5 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp red pepper
1 L chicken or vegetable stock
1/4 cup coconut milk
2 long sweet potatoes, thinly sliced
more olive oil for frying
 

In a medium size pot, lightly fry the garlic and onion in the olive oil for about 2 minutes. Add the diced celery root and potato, salt and pepper, and sauté for another minute. Add the stock (enough to cover) and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook for about 20 minutes until the vegetables have softened. Remove from stove and puree the soup. Add the coconut milk and more salt or red pepper if necessary.

In the meantime, slice the purple potato with a mandolin or a really sharp knife. Heat the olive oil and fry the sliced potatoes for about 30 seconds to a minute (until they crisp up). Drain them on paper towels and season with sea salt. Use as garnish or serve on the side.

Butternut Squash, Carrot and Celeriac Cream Soup

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 small carrots, peeled and diced

1 celery stalk

1 medium celeriac, peeled and diced

half a small butternut squash, peeled and diced (seeds removed)

1 medium potato, peeled and diced

1 tsp freshly ground coriander

1 L vegetable broth

salt and pepper

In a medium size pot, lightly warm olive oil. Add garlic, carrots and celery, and sauté until soft and tender (about 5 minutes). Add celeriac, squash, potato and sprinkle coriander. Cook for 5 more minutes. Stir occasionally. Add the vegetable broth. Bring the soup to a boil, cover the pot and reduce the heat to medium. Cook for another 15-20 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. 

Remove the pot from the stove and puree the soup. Season with salt and pepper (you may add more warm water if the soup is not thin enough).  

I will add just one more photo (forgot about it the first time), so you can see better how the potato cream soup looked like. I've also made a kid-size serving in a funny bowl with furry cats drawn on the side, Layla would love it.