Sweet and earthy celeriac makes a lovely, satisfying soup. This one is given a refreshing, zesty kick with a splash of gremolata. If you’re cooking for breast cancer patients going through chemotherapy treatment, it’s soothing and won’t irritate a sore mouth.
Serves 4
2 tsp olive oil
1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped
2 celery sticks, roughly sliced
1 medium celeriac, peeled and roughly chopped
1.2 litres low-salt vegetable stock
Freshly ground black pepper
For the gremolata
1 garlic clove
Finely grated zest and juice of ½ lemon
A handful of parsley leaves
A handful of rocket
3 tsp extra virgin olive oil
Method
1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium-low heat. When hot, add the onion and celery. Fry gently for about 5 minutes until softened, adding a little water if the veg look a little dry.
2. Stir in the celeriac and stock and simmer for 20 minutes, until the celeriac is completely soft.
3. In the meantime, put all of the gremolata ingredients into a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add a little water (up to 1 tbsp) to let down the consistency of the gremolata, if preferred.
4. Using a free-standing or stick blender, blitz the soup until smooth and creamy. Serve topped with a dollop of gremolata and a sprinkling of pepper.
Recipe extracted from The Breast Cancer Cookbook by Professor Mohammed Keshtgar (Quadrille, £20). Photographs Jan Baldwin