Seasonal Recipe of the Week
Santa Fe is known for many things... Deborah Madison and the Farmer's Market are just two of them. This recipe is from Debra’s Local Flavors cookbook, and it's for a nice autumnal soup made with celery root and wild rice.
Ingredients
1/2 cup wild rice
1 celery root, about 1 pound
2 large leeks, white part only
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 piece of celery diced
1 cup thinly sliced Russet potatoes
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 bay leaf
1 fresh Thyme sprig
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
2 cups half-and-half
drizzle of truffle oil (optional)
Procedure
Cover the wild rice with 5 cups water in a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer and cover for 45 minutes, or until rice is tender. Set aside till the end. Thickly cut and trim celery root to remove nasty outside, then cube into bite-size pieces. You should get 3 cups. Chop the leek, rinse well, and drain. Melt the butter in a soup pot and add vegetables, parsley, thyme, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and bay leaf. Cook 5 minutes. Now add stock, bring to a boil, and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes. Add half-and-half and simmer till everything feels tender. Take out 1 cup of vegetables and soup, puree, then add back to soup pot. This will thicken the soup! Adjust salt and pepper. Divide into 4 warmed soup bowls, fill with soup, and add a mound of wild rice to the center of each bowl. Drizzle with truffle oil before serving. Top with a little extra chopped parsley.