Celery is often the supporting actor in dishes, rarely the star. All the reasons we love cooking with celery is what makes this soup is fantastic. It is bright, cozy, familiar and incredibly delicious when topped off with homemade croutons.

• 1-1/2 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1 pound celery, about one head (2-1/2 cups chopped and 3/4 cups diced)
• 3/4 cup sliced leeks (about 1 small), white and light green parts only
• 1/2 cup onion of shallot, chopped roughly
• 1 clove garlic, smashed
• 1 bay leaf
• 16 oz chicken or no-chicken chicken stock (avoid vegetarian stock with tomatoes and carrots)
• 1/4 cup half and half or heavy cream
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 cup bread, diced

Directions

1. Start the soup. Melt half of the butter in a large saucepan. Add the rough-chopped celery, leeks, onion or shallot, and garlic. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Add bay leaves. Stir and cook for a minute.
2. Simmer the soup. Add the bouillon and water. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat; simmer for 15 minutes, until vegetables are completely tender.
3. Cook the diced celery. Meanwhile, melt the other half of the butter in a sauté pan. Add the diced celery and cook until the celery is bright and tender, about five minutes. Transfer the celery to a bowl and set aside.
4. Make the croutons. Heat a pan over medium heat (it can be the same one used for the celery). Put some of the butter in the pan and immediately stir in the diced bread, before the butter melts. Stir. Add a little more butter and stir some more as the butter melts. Cook, stirring every couple minutes, until the edges are browned, about 5 minutes.
5. Finish the soup. Remove the bay leaves. Taste for seasoning, add salt and pepper as desired. Working in batches, transfer the soup to a blender and purée, a couple cups at a time. Be very careful! Alternatively, use an immersion blender. Add heavy cream and stir to warm. If you want super-silky soup, strain it through a fine-meshed sieve.
6. Serve. Ladle the soup into bowls, top with croutons and serve.

Total time: 1 hour

Serves: 2

Nutrition per serving:

• 372 calories
• 24 g fat
• 33 g carbs
• 7 g protein
• 6 g fiber

Aleks Till is the owner of Homegrown Foods. Homegrown Foods is a local, woman-owned business serving the Twin Cities area for over 10 years. Specializing in delivering meal kits using organic ingredients, grown by local farmers.