Deep Purple – Soupe de celeri rave et pommes de terre Okinawa aux écrevisses

 

Celery root reminds me of France and its Celeri Rémoulade…which is raw shredded celery root salad with mayonnaise. Not that I particularly like mayonnaise on salad but I love celery root flavor.

A while ago, my Japanese neighbor introduced me to this Japanese kind of sweet potato called Okinawan potato; it has such a beautiful vibrant purple color. She was telling me about all the wonderful nutrient packed in it and how they eat it in Japan, so it did not take me long to go and buy some. I love Japanese cuisine, and I was curious to taste it especially that it has many antioxidants, one of which gives it its purple color, is called anthocyanin.

In general I don’t eat much potatoes, I find them quite boring, but this one is really different from all the other kinds of sweet potatoes I tasted and I will explore its use further.

Now what do you do with a celery root and Okinawan potato? You can do many things but the cold weather made me decide on a soup.

The small cubes of potatoes and celery mixed to the crayfish add some pleasant texture to the soup, so that part is not optional. You can also use shrimps instead of crayfish.

This is a lovely soup, delicate yet fragrant with lots of character, so definitely a soup that I will make again.

Ingredients for 4

  • 1 tbs olive oil
  • 1/2 yellow onion chopped
  • 2 celery roots (medium size) peeled and diced + 1 slice cut crosswise in small cubes (1/3 inch) to set aside
  • 1 medium size Okinawan potato, peeled and diced + 2 slices cut crosswise in small cubes (1/3 inch) to set aside
  • 1 leek, roughly chopped
  • vegetable broth (enough to cover the vegetables
  • 1 .2 cups cooked crayfish
  • lemon oil
  • 1 tbs parsley, chopped
  • salt and pepper

Preparation

In a large pot, heat olive oil and add onion. Let them cook until fragrant and translucent. Add all vegetables except for the slice of celery cut in small cubes and the two slices of potatoes cut in small cubes.

Add enough broth to cover the vegetables.

Let cook the soup until all the vegetables are tender. Adjust with salt and pepper.

In a small pan, heat olive oil and saute the small cubes of potatoes and celery root until golden brown outside and soft inside. Add crayfish and saute for a few minutes. Remove from heat and add parsley. Adjust with salt and pepper.

When the soup is cooked. Blend using a hand blender, or mixer.

Divide in plates, and add 1 tbs of crayfish mixture and drizzle with lemon oil. Serve hot