Cream of Celery Soup

This elegant dish is a cream of celery soup with a light taste of nutmeg. A diet recipe for Vegetarian too! Just 150 Kcal.

Ingredients: serves 4 150 Kcal for 1

- 2 lb (900g) celery
- 1 onion
- 1 qt (1lt) vegetable stock
- 1 tbsp (15g) butter
- 1 tbsp (15g) flour
- 4 slices sandwich loaf
- 1 nutmeg
- salt & pepper

Preparation: medium 1 hour

1. Clean the celery with a heavy knife, drop the peel and cut the flesh into pieces roughly quite large. Put the pulp into a saucepan with the onion and cover with cold vegetable broth.

2. Turn on the heat and bring to boiling, lower the heat and cook over a low flame covered for about an hour. To thicken the this soup without using heavy cooking cream or white sauce you must prepare a roux (roux is typically a mix of flour and butter cooked together), by melting the butter in a saucepan to which you add a tablespoon of flour. Then cook a few moments on the fire stirring constantly, then just keep it warm.

3. Drain the celery with the onions and reduce to a puree with a food mixer. Bring back on the fire, add the roux and stir with a whisk for a few minutes to lower the compound. If the cream seems too thick, you can obviously add more vegetable stock or, alternatively, a few tablespoons of hot water.

4. Add salt and pepper to taste and keep aside. Cut the slices of sandwich loaf into small cubes, so to make some croutons. Turn on the grill in your oven and toast them for a few minutes on a baking sheet, until they are crisp. Pour the cream into 4 dishes and flavored with finely grated nutmeg.

Serve piping hot with a croutons topping.