Culinary Adventures with Camilla

I had a handful of these "not lovely" knobs in my High Ground Organics CSA box this afternoon: celeriac or celery root. What they lack in aesthetics, they make up for in subtle, gorgeous flavor. I would say that they taste like celery mixed with parsley. Ingredients 2 leeks, trimmed and thinly sliced 2 celeriac, peeled and thinly sliced 2 T butter 6 C organic chicken broth 1 t celery seeds 1 C organic heavy cream 1/2 C shredded parmesan Procedure In a large soup pot, melt the butter in a splash of olive oil. Saute the leeks and celeriac until caramelized and softened. Add the celery seeds and chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Then cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for an hour or so. Just before serving, stir in the cream. Garnish with the cheese and serve hot.

This afternoon I received a three-word text from my husband: "French. Onion. Soup." Yes, that's how it works in my house - they order, I cook. It's my own fault that they believe they live in a restaurant. So, with that suggestion, I headed to the store after work and picked up some onions, beef boullion, and gruyere cheese. Easy, though I would not call this a traditional French onion soup. My version, as always, relies on what I have or don't have. I did not have white wine or thyme, both of which are included in the usual recipe. Instead, I used a combination of spices and added a splash or two or three of a cabernet sauvignon. I also couldn't find my oven-proof ramekins, so I melted the cheese on the bread in the oven and just plunked them into the steaming bowls of soup. onions dill oregano celery seed smoked sea salt butter beef boullion red wine bread, sliced (I used mini loaves of a whole wheat hazelnut bread I had made yesterd...