Name: Cream of Celery Soup
Total time: 1 h
Yield: Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients: 4 tablespoons unsalted butter; 12 celery ribs, chopped; 1 pound russet potatoes, peeled, quartered, and sliced thin; 2 onions, chopped; 2 tablespoons sugar; 2 teaspoons dried sage; Salt and pepper; 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour; 6 cups chicken broth; 1 bay leaf; 1/2 cup heavy cream

Why This Recipe Works

Canned cream of celery soup has scant evidence of its namesake vegetable. To make our homemade version worthy of the name, we use a generous 12 ribs of celery. Sage, bay, and salt and pepper season the soup, and sugar rounds out the flavor. We use both flour and cooked potatoes to add thickness and body, and a touch of dairy stirred in at the end makes it rich and creamy.

Instructions

Melt butter in Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add celery, potatoes, onions, sugar, sage, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper and cook, covered, until celery and onions soften, about 15 minutes.

Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Stir in broth and bay leaf and bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Discard bay leaf.

Working in batches, process soup in blender until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Return soup to clean pot, stir in cream, and bring to simmer over medium heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.