celery and feta soup (recipe)

I created this recipe, because my mother makes a delicious celery and stilton soup, which I can’t eat because I have developed an allergy to blue cheeses. This has that essential “celeryness+cheesy tang”, is fairly low fat and works well as a dinner party opener, being unusual and quite scrumptious.

Ingredients

• 4 large sticks celery, washed, dried and chopped
• 1 large onion, diced
• A little olive oil for sweating
• 1 large or 2 medium potatoes, cubed (to thicken – can be eliminated if you like a more liquid soup)
• 1 litre vegetable stock
• 250ml cream or evaporated milk (the latter for a lower fat option)
• 150g feta cheese crumbled

Method

1. Sweat celery and onion in olive oil.
2. Add stock and (and potatoes if using) and bring to the boil.
3. Reduce heat and simmer for 25 – 30 minutes.
4. Blend until smooth, using a stick whisk, blender or food processor.
(You can do everything up to this point ahead of time, and refrigerate the soup if you wish, what follows must be done immediately before serving.)
5. Add cream/evaporated milk and warm.
6. Crumble in cheese, and stirring constantly to ensure the soup doesn’t boil, until the cheese is pretty much melted (the feta will not incorporate completely, but it will flavour the soup and the little balls of melty cheese provide a series of tiny taste explosions)
7. Serve with warm crisp rolls or ciabatta bread
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