Seasonal Chef Recipe: Jerusalem Artichoke, Celery Root and Pomegranate Soup

By blum099

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup shallot, 1/2″ dice
• 1 large garlic clove, chopped
• 1 tablespoon butter
• Kosher salt
• Ground black pepper
• 2 cups celery root, 1/2″ dice, about 10 oz, from 20 oz untrimmed bulb
• 1 lb Jerusalem artichokes (aka sunchokes), scrubbed well and cut into 1/2″ pieces
• 4 cups stock
• 2 tablespoons hazelnuts, roughly chopped
• Fresh pomegranate seeds
• Good fruity finishing oil

Details

Preparation time 10mins
Cooking time 40mins
Adapted from seasonalchefrecipe

Preparation

Step 1

Place the shallot, garlic and butter in a small stock pot over medium heat. Season with 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Cook until the shallots are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
Add the celery root, Jerusalem artichokes, thyme branch and 3 cups of stock. Bring to a low boil, cover and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft.
Remove from heat and cool for 5 minutes. Discard the thyme branch and add the nuts.
Using an immersion (stick) blender, puree the the soup until very smooth. Alternatively you can use a conventional blender. Add the remaining stick to get the soup to your desired consistency. (I used the last cup.) Taste for seasoning and add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper as needed.
For each serving sprinkle 1 tablespoon of pomegranate seeds in each bowl. Don’t skip this step! The pomegranates will provide a nice fresh acidic bite, balancing the earthiness of the soup.
Drizzle with a good fruity finishing oil and serve.
Notes

The easiest, and least messy way to clean pomegranates: after a good rinse cut it into 4 pieces and place in a large bowl filled with cool water. Separate the arils (seeds) from the white pulp, under the water. The seeds will fall to the bottom of the bowl and the white pulp will float to the top, making it easy to get them out.