Cream of Celery Root Soup with Green Walnut and Pomegranate Topping

Tasty and creamy and rich this is a soup for a cold winter day. Easy to make, it is a wonderful dish to keep in your back pocket for those days when you want to eat well but not necessarily spend all day in the kitchen. 

Ingredients

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 large leek, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced

5 garlic cloves, crushed

2 1/2 pounds celery root, peeled and cut into 1-inch dice (8 cups)

One 2-inch chunk of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (1 ounce), plus 1/4 cup freshly grated cheese

2 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth

1/2 cup walnuts

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup coarsely chopped parsley

I/2 cup pomegranate seeds

1/2 cup heavy cream

Kosher salt

Pepper

Instructions

In a large saucepan, melt the butter. Add the leek and garlic and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5 minutes. Add the celery root, Parmesan chunk, stock and 5 cups of water and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until the celery root is tender, 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375°. Spread the walnuts in a pie plate and toast for 5 to 7 minutes, until golden. Let cool, then finely chop and transfer to a bowl. Add the oil, parsley and grated cheese and mix well.

In a blender, puree the soup in 2 batches until very smooth. Pour into a clean saucepan and stir in the heavy cream; season with salt and pepper and reheat if necessary. Serve topped with the walnut gremolata and pomegranate seeds.

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