Rachel Allen's celeriac soup with avocado and hazelnut salsa.

Ingredients

Serves 6

  • 15g butter
  • 15oz (425g) celeriac, cut into 5 mm dice
  • 4oz (110g) onions, cut into 5 mm dice
  • 5oz (150g) potatoes, cut into 5 mm dice 
  • 2 pints (1.1L) chicken stock or vegetable stock 
  • salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 4fl oz (100 ml) cream 

Avocado and Hazelnut Salsa

  • 1 small ripe avocado, halved, stone removed, peeled and diced into neat scant 1 cm dice
  • 2 tablespoons hazelnuts, roasted, skinned and coarsely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons hazelnut or extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Avocado and hazelnut salsa to serve

  1. Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan; when it foams, add the potatoes, onions and celeriac and toss them in the butter until evenly coated. 
  2. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. 
  3. Cover with a butter wrapper or a paper lid (to keep in the steam) and the saucepan lid, and sweat over a gentle heat for about 10 minutes, until the vegetables are soft but not coloured.
  4. Discard the paper lid.  Add the hot stock and cook until the celeriac is soft, about 8-10 minutes.  Liquidize the soup; add a little more stock or cream to thin to the required consistency. 
  5. Taste and correct seasoning.

Avocado and Hazelnut Salsa

  1. Mix the ingredients for the avocado and hazelnut salsa. Taste and correct the seasoning.
  2. This mixture can be stored in your fridge for an hour as the olive oil coating the avocado will prevent it from discolouring.