Celeriac Coconut Soup

Suitable for vegans and vegetarians. Serves 4.

Celeriac is probably my favourite winter vegetable. With it's complex, subtly anise-y flavour, it packs so much more of a punch than other similar root veg like parsnips. It is even relatively easy to find these days, with most big supermarkets carrying celeriac. Otherwise, you could definitely find some at your local farmers market.

This soup is a great way to use celeriac. The coconut milk pairs excellently with it and results in a super comforting, super satisfying, super easy winter meal. The only step that requires a bit of extra effort is pureeing the cooked celeriac chunks. I think that this is essential to creating a creamy consistency. You can do this with a blender, but if you have a hand blender or immersion blender, you can just stick that right into the pot and puree away.

Alternatively, if you don't have any blending apparatus, you can let the soup simmer for even longer, up to an hour or until the celeriac chunks have almost completely fallen apart, and mash them with the back of a spoon.

Ingredients:

• 1 celeriac root (roughly 1 kg), peeled and chopped into cubes (use a knife as opposed to a peeler. The skin is very tough and you want to remove all of the knobbly exterior), 
• 1 onion, finely diced, 
• 1 leek, green end trimmed off and finely chopped, 
• 2 stalks of celery, 
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced, 
• 1 green chilli, finely chopped, 
• 2 tbsp coconut oil, 
• 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg, 
• 500 ml vegetable stock, 
• 400ml can of coconut milk, 
• 4 tbsp finely chopped chives, 
• for garnish; toasted chopped walnuts, shredded coconut, and additional chopped chives.

Method:

• Place a large pot over medium high heat and melt 2 tbsp of coconut oil.
• Add the onion, leek, and celery and cook down for 4-5 minutes or until soft.
• Add the garlic and chilli and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes or until fragrant.
• Add the celeriac along with the nutmeg and mix to combine.
• Add the stock and the coconut milk and mix.
• Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low.
• Let simmer for 25-30 minutes or until the celeriac is soft. 
• Puree 3/4 of the soup. You can do this by ladle-ing it into a blender, pureeing, and adding back to the pot, or by using a hand blender and pureeing in the pot. Either way, make sure to leave some chunks for a contrast of textures.
• Add the chopped chives.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve while hot.
• Garnish with chopped toasted walnuts and shaved coconut.