Celeriac Soup with Toasted Hazelnuts and Truffle Oil

Celeriac is the ultimate winter vegetable. Delicious and versatile (you can roast, mash or blend it), its creamy, earthy taste has got to be tried to be believed. And did we mention it’s super healthy too? Packed with vitamins K, B and C and well as vital minerals iron, calcium, copper and manganese, your body will thank you for the sweet gift of celeriac.

This creamy, velvety soup with crunchy sweet hazelnuts and decadent truffle oil makes a lovely starter for Christmas Day, and you can easily double the quantity to serve more people.

Preparation time:15 minutes

Cooking time:25 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
Knob of butter
3 echalion shallots, finely diced
2 celery sticks, chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 celeriac, peeled and diced
1 medium potato, peeled and diced
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp lemon thyme leaves
1 litre vegetable stock
100g blanched hazelnuts, toasted (see Cook’s Tip)
2 tbsp crème fraîche
½ lemon
Truffle oil, for drizzling

Method

Heat the oil and butter in a medium saucepan. Cook the shallots and celery for 3-4 minutes until beginning to soften. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.

Add the celeriac, potato, bay leaf and thyme and cook for 1 minute. Pour over the stock, cover and simmer for 20 minutes until the vegetables are very tender.

Remove the pan from the heat and take out the bay leaf. Add about three quarters of the hazelnuts, then chop the remaining nuts and set aside. Blend the soup with a stick blender until smooth, stir in the crème fraîche and blend again.

Add a squeeze of lemon then ladle into bowls. Serve scattered with the reserved hazelnuts and drizzled with the truffle oil.

To toast hazelnuts, preheat the oven to 180°C, gas mark 4. Spread the nuts over a baking tray and place in the oven for about 5 minutes until golden

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