Creamy celeriac and parsnip soup with almond and parsley

(Recipe in Swedish below)

Another favourite soup!

I always serve my soups with a yummy “topping salad” for extra texture, flavour and heartiness. A smart thing is to use bits from the soup also on top of if - as in if making a celeriac and parsnip soup like here, but some extra celeriac or parsnip, roast in until lightly crispy and add to the topping salad. My typical topping salad formula would be:

200 gram veggie (same as in the soup) + 1-2 flavours (could be spices, herbs or nut butters) + something crunchy (such as toasted nuts or seeds)

Happy cooking!

Creamy celeriac and parsnip soup with almond and parsley

Serves 4

Ingredients

500 grams celeriac

200 grams parsnip 

1 yellow onion

2 garlic cloves

1,2 liter vegetable stock

2 Tbsp almond butter

1 handfull fresh parsley

2 tsp apple cider vinegar

olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Topping salad

1 1/2 dl wild rice, or any other cereal such as quinoa / millet / sorghum / spelt / whole wheat (if you have any leftovers at home this is the perfect way to use it. Also, you can use any type of legumes instead, story bought pre-cooked works great!)

200 grams celeriac

1 handful almond flakes

cress

olive oil for roasting

cold pressed olive oil for drizzling

salt and freshly ground black pepper

How to

Start by making the topping salad if you need to cook some wild rice as it takes about 40 minutes. If using already cooked cereals / leftovers or pre-cooked legumes you can do this part when the soup is simmering.

Pre heat the oven 200°C. Cook the wild rice according to instructions on the packaging. Scrub the celeriac carefully, cut in small pieces. Toss with oil and roast in the oven until soft, about 15 minutes. Add the almond flakes the last minute. Toss together wild rice, celeriac and almond. Chop the parsley and add it too. Salt and pepper to taste.

Peel and finely chop onion and garlic, fry in a bit of oil in a saucepan until soft. Scrub the root veggies carefully, cut away any dirty parts and cut the rest in smaller pieces. Add veggies, almond butter and vegetable stock to the saucepan. Bring to a boil and let simmer until veggies are soft, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat, mix until smooth using an immersion blender. Add parsley and vinegar and pulse a few times. Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve the soup topped with the salad and cress. Drizzle with oil.

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Ännu en favoritsoppa!

Jag serverar alltid mina soppor med en smarrig “toppingsallad”, både för att ge extra smak och textur men även mer matighet. Ett smart knep är att använda samma grönsak/er som du har i soppan även som topping ovanpå den. Här har jag använt extra rotselleri, som jag tärnat och sedan rostat, tillsammans med lite vildris, örter och rostad mandel. Min typiska toppingsallad följer följande formel:

200 gram rotsak + 2 dl kokt baljväxt eller sädesslag + 1-2 smaksättningar + något crunchigt (exempelvis rostade fröer eller nötter)

Smaklig spis!

Rotselleri- och palsternackssoppa med mandel och persilja

4 portioner

Ingredienser

500 gram rotselleri

200 gram palsternacka 

1 gul lök

2 vitlöksklyftor

1,2 liter lantbuljong

2 msk mandelsmör

1 näve färsk persilja

2 tsk äppelcidervinäger

Olja

Salt och nymalen svartpeppar

Toppingsallad

1 1/2 dl vildris, eller annat sädesslag så som quinoa / hirs / durra / dinkel / matvete (använd gärna överblivet sädesslag här, om du har något. Det går också bra att byta ut mot kokta baljväxter, så som linser eller kikärtor som kan köpas förkokta på tetra)

200 gram rotselleri, eller palsternacka

1 näve färsk persilja

1 liten näve mandelflan

krasse

olivolja till rostning

kallpressad olivolja att ringla över - gärna en smaksatt

Gör såhär

Börja med att koka vildriset till toppingsalladen, enligt anvisning på förpackningen.

Skala och finhacka lök och vitlök, fräs i lite olja i en gryta eller kastrull tills de mjuknar men utan att de tar färg. Skrubba rotsakerna noga, skär bort eventuella jordiga bitar och dela resten i mindre bitar. Tillsätt rotsakerna, mandelsmör och vätska till grytan. Låt koka upp och sjud i 15-20 minuter, beroende på storleken på bitarna, tills allt är helt mjukt. Ta bort från värmen, mixa tills helt slätt med hjälp av stavmixer. Tillsätt persilja och vinäger och pulsa några gånger. Smaka av med salt och peppar.

Värm ugnen till 200°C. Skrubba rotsellerin till toppingsalladen noga. Skär i små tärningar, blanda med lite olja och en nypa salt. Rosta i ugnen tills mjuka, ca 15 minuter. Låt mandelflanen rosta med sista minuten. Blanda vildris, rostad rotselleri och mandelflarn. Finhacka persiljan och blanda ner. Smaka av med salt och peppar.

Servera soppan toppad med salladen och krasse. Ringla över kallpressad olivolja - gärna en smaksatt!

Vindaloo masala daal with carrots and spinach + courgette raja with mint

This recipe is inspired by a man with a spice mix stand in the small village Agonda in the Indian province Goa. He told me he made the best home made masala there is. Unfortunately I didn’t get to try his version - but tried my very best to remember each and every word he said when he explained how to make it. The result is right here below!

Vindaloo masala daal with carrots and spinach + courgette raja with mint

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

1 yellow onion

1-2 Tbsp vindaloo curry (to taste)

1 Tbsp ground turmeric

2 garlic cloves

1 aubergine

400 grams crushed tomatoes

8 dl / 3 1/3 cups water

3 dl / 1.2 cups red lentils

400 grams carrots

8 dried organic apricots

1 handful of fresh parsley + extra for serving

100 grams organic fresh baby spinach

2 Tbsp cold pressed coconut oil

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Courgette raja with mint

1/2 courgette

5 dl / 2 cups natural unsweetened plant yoghurt

1 handful of fresh mint

1 pinch of chiliflakes

salt och freshly ground black pepper

How to

Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic. Peel the aubergine and cut in to pieces. Heat the coconut oil over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add the vindaloo mix, turmeric, onion and garlic. Fry until fragrant and the onion has soften.You might want to add 1-2 Tbsp of water if it feels too dry.

Add aubergine, tomatoes and water. Bring to a boil and let cook for 10 minutes, until the aubergine is soft. Mix everything until smooth using an immersion blender.

Scrub and slice the carrots. Chop the apricots. Add to the saucepan together with lentils. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 20-25 minutes, until you get a very creamy daal. Maybe add a bit more water if it feels too dry. Remove from heat and add the parsley and spinach. Salt and pepper to taste.

Let the daal sit for at least 20 minutes before servering. Serve with extra spinach and rajta only, or with both + some wild rice/black rice/brown rice!

Recipe was first published in The Gothenburg-Post/Två dagar