Gabriella Fosso made such a spectacular apple-celeriac soup last Friday, so creamy and soothing, that I really wanted to try something like it. This is an approximation of it, though it's not Gabriella's recipe but rather one from British chef Jamie Oliver.
His calls for celery along with celeriac; while we don't grow head celery (like what you find at a supermarket), we do have "cutting celery" in the U-pick section of the farm, down at the end of a row toward Legion Road. It looks a lot like large, fat-stemmed parsley, but you'll recognize the celery smell if you pick one of the leaves and crush it in your fingers. And cutting celery is better for you than head celery! AND, the cutting celery is thriving in this cool autumn weather! (Btw, although this recipe calls for only one celeriac, Angela says we will be getting more, not this week but probably the following week. Celeriac keeps in the crisper drawer of the fridge.)
Jamie Oliver's Apple & Celeriac Soup--serves 8-10 as a starter; Jamie says "creamy yet earthy celeriac is the perfect foil to sweet and sharp apples."
4 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, sliced
1 celery stalk, sliced [for regular celery substitute 2 or 3 stalks of cutting celery, including the leaves]
1 celeriac, chopped
4 sweet but crisp & tasty apples, cored & quartered [in other words, not bland Red Delicious--something w/ a stronger, sharper flavor]
a few thyme sprigs, leaves picked off to use [Melinda thinks lemon thyme would be nice]
toasted hazelnuts [aka filberts]--you can find these at markets [Jamie's recipe does not stipulate skinning the nuts, but here's another opinion: "Hazelnuts have a bitter brown skin that is best removed, usually by heating them at 350F for 10-15 min., till the skins begin to flake." (source). I believe that Gabriella skinned hers.]
Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large pan. Add the onions & celery & cook over a medium heat for 10 min. until soft. Add the celeriac, apples, and thyme and cook for 2-3 min. Add stock, season [with salt/pepper] and simmer on low heat for 30 min, till the celeriac is tender. Remove from heat and blend w/ an immersion blender until smooth. Stir in half the creme fraiche. Heat the remaining oil and fry the sage leaves until crispy. Spoon the soup into bowls & top with remaining creme fraiche. To serve, drizzle with olive oil & sprinkle w/ crispy sage leaves and hazelnuts [crack the hazelnuts a bit first]. (recipe source) Check out Gabriella's website: http://www.seasonedchefservice.com/
If you're interested in connections among foods and art, see W. B. Yeats's lovely, nostalgic poem, "The Song of Wandering Aengus," about a bard who found his love in a hazel wood. Here's a printed version (http://www.bartleby.com/146/9.html) and here's a beautifully read version:
Here's some info about kale, then the recipes. Kale's in the Brassica family, which includes cruciferous veggies like cabbage, collards, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts. One cup of chopped kale contains 33 calories, 9% of your calcium minimum daily requirement (MDR), 206% of vitamin A MDR, 134% of vitamin C MDR, and a whopping 684% of vitamin K MDR. It's also a good source of the minerals copper, potassium, iron, manganese, and phosphorus.
Curly kale
Kale's carotenoids and flavonoids are the antioxidants associated with many anti-cancer health benefits. Kale is also rich in eye-health-promoting lutein and zeaxanthin compounds.
Beyond antioxidants, the fiber content of kale binds bile acids and helps lower blood cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart disease, especially when the kale is cooked instead of raw. The fibrous components of kale do a better job of binding with bile acids in your digestive tract when they've been steamed. That makes it easier for bile acids to be excreted, resulting in lower cholesterol levels. Raw kale still has cholesterol-lowering ability--just not as much.
**Anyone taking anticoagulants such as warfarin should avoid kale, because the high level of vitamin K may interfere with the drugs. Consult your doctor if you think this may apply to you before adding kale to your diet.**
Kale may be a powerhouse of nutrients but it also contains oxalates, naturally occuring substances that may interfere with calcium absorption. Hence avoid eating calcium-rich foods like dairy at the same time you eat kale in order to prevent any problems.
Kale is higher in iron than beef--and iron helps with the formation of hemoglobin and enzymes and is essential for liver function and cell growth.
1 bunch kale, tough stems and center ribs removed
1 avocado, peeled & chopped
2 tbsp lemon juice
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp fresh ginger root, minced
1/2 medium onion, minced
1 large apple, cored & chopped
1/2 cup raw cashews, chopped
Roll up each kale leaf and slice thinly, crosswise. Add to bowl along with avocado and lemon juice. Using your hands, massage lemon juice & avocado into the kale leaves until kale starts to soften and wilt, and each leaf is coated, ~2-3 min. Mix in garlic, ginger, onion, & apple. Top w/ chopped cashews. Serves 4. (recipe source)
