Conquer the Gnarly Root to Create an Elegant and Easy Weeknight Bisque
My dear friend Sally makes the best falafel. I will entertain no arguments on this. Sally hails from Alexandria, Egypt, and she has great passion about the type of chickpea, the level of spice and the mix of fresh herbs. Sally’s falafel sings with herbs. She regularly prepares large batches of the savory, herby base and divides them into smaller portions to freeze. When she’s ready to make the falafel, she thaws the base, adds extra cumin and a touch of baking powder and fries them to crisp perfection.
On her batch prep days, I am often the lucky recipient of a coveted deli container of herby base accompanied by a reminder of how and when to add the cumin and baking powder. Despite her excellent instruction, mine never taste as good as hers, but it gave me an idea.
In comes celery root, or celeriac. Although not widely prized in the U.S., it has a long and storied history. It is mentioned in The Iliad and The Odyssey and was considered medicinal by the Greeks and Romans. The bulbous root, also known as the hypocotyl part of the plant, is white on the inside, and can be stored for six to eight months, making it a useful crop for long winters.
This soup recipe celebrates both this gnarled-looking root and Sally’s herby mix. Gentle cooking coaxes the sweetness out of the celeriac and onions, cream adds lushness, and a green swirl of herb oil lends a vibrant kick to the finished product. Craggy, sumac-dusted croutons provide a textural contrast and a pleasant crunch.
The most time-consuming part of this bisque is peeling the tough celeriac. Commit to a relationship with your sharpest knife and a Y-shaped vegetable peeler and the task will go quickly. If you run across any spongy bits in the center of the root, cut them out and discard.
Jamie Samons wouldn’t eat a vegetable until she was 18 but has spent decades making up for lost time. In her free time, she enjoys exploring the flavors created by the admirable growers and producers who make Rhode Island delicious.
