Recipes: Celeriac & pear soup

Adding a little fruit to this warming soup gives it a light, fresh flavour

Ingredients

olive oil
4 shallots , finely sliced
2 garlic cloves , finely chopped
thumb-sized piece root ginger , finely chopped
1 celeriac , about 800g in weight, peeled and roughly chopped
4 ripe pears , peeled, cored and roughly chopped
1l vegetable stock

1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large saucepan, add the shallots, garlic and ginger and cook over a medium heat for about 5 minutes until softened but not coloured.
2. Add the celeriac, pears and stock, bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and simmer for 20-30 minutes or until the celeriac has softened enough to mash easily.
3. Liquidise the soup in a blender until silky smooth. If using a food processor whizz until smooth and then sieve it to catch any bits. Season and serve sprinkled with parsley.

Stop celeriac from browning
Celeriac will discolour and turn brown once cut, so either use it straight away or drop it into a bowl of water with a squeeze of lemon juice.

NUTRITION PER SERVING:

106 kcalories, protein 2.8g, carbohydrate 18.4g, fat 2.9 g, saturated fat 0.3g, fibre 8.4g, salt 0.53 g

handful flat-leaf parsley , chopped

source: bbcgoodfood.com