No Waste Roasted Celery Soup

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SERVES:

Prep Time:

10 minutes

Cook Time:

1 hour

Stuck on making the most of your Wonky celery? This Roasted Celery Soup recipe is a great new way to enjoy this vibrant veg, and perfect for the colder weather.

Poor celery is often overlooked, but did you know it's a secret nutritional powerhouse? It's rich in nutrients and a strong anti-oxidant with anti-inflammatory effects. And don't you dare throw out those leafy bits at the end of your celery stalks, this zero waste soup recipe uses 'em all.

While raw celery has a fresh, crisp, and mildly bitter taste, once roasted celery becomes sweeter, as the heat of the oven caramelises the natural sugars present in the celery, giving it a subtle sweetness and a deeper, more complex flavor.

The fennel adds a further warming touch to this delicious, zero waste bowl of goodness, while the yogurt makes it nice and creamy. All the more reason to give this soup a slurp!

_INGREDIENTS:

1 head celery
1 tsp ground fennel seeds
500ml vegetable stock
200g plain Greek yogurt (or neutral flavor vegan yogurt)
Salt and Pepper
Oil for cooking

_{INSTRUCTIONS:}

Preheat the oven to 160°C
Roughly slice the entire head of celery into pieces, including the leaves!
Fill the sink with water and rinse the celery thoroughly, then place the celery into a colander to drain.
Transfer the celery onto a baking tray and drizzle with olive oil & season with salt and pepper.
Place the tray into the oven and bake for 50 minutes.
While the celery is roasting, toast the fennel seeds in a dry pan on medium heat for 10- 20 seconds until fragrant. Use a pestle and mortar to grind the fennel seeds into a powder (you could also blitz them in food processor if you don't have a pestle and mortar!). Set aside.
Remove the tray from the oven and carefully pour the roasted celery into a large pot (including any baking juices that have gathered on the tray).
Sprinkle in the ground fennel seeds and pour in the vegetable stock.
Cover the pot with a lid and bring the soup to the boil.
Once boiling, mix through the yogurt.
Remove from the burner and use a hand blender or food processor to blitz the soup until smooth. If the soup is too thick add more hot vegetable stock.
Place the soup back on the stove and heat on a low temperature for 3-4 minutes, stirring often to avoid the soup spluttering.
Season with salt and pepper to taste, then serve with extra yogurt on top, croutons, or celery leaves as garnish.

Top tip: Portion the soup into smaller individual containers and freeze, so you have soup to bring to work for lunch. Just reheat in the microwave!

wonkybox

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