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I had to step up the soup making over the past week and, believe me, this bowl of Celeriac and Zucchini has the prefix 'Restorative' for good reason. It was, after all, instrumental in breathing back the life and soul into a household that had come to a complete standstill. The husband, always known for his excellent timing, swanned off to t'other side of the world leaving his children stricken with the lurg and, in my son's case, poor bed ridden mite with a three-day fever. Not to mention a raging hacker of a cough that has taken more than a week to finally provide us both with some respite. Fingers crossed it continues because there's some serious zzzz's that need catching up on around here.
It's at this point, I need to pay homage to the indispensable Instant Pot. If the Oscar's gave an award for "best new kitchen electrical" this would be a seriously high contender for the prize. How I love thee, IP, and how did I love you more than I thought possible when the two small people were overcome and only copious cups of bone broth would suffice. Seriously though, delicious, nutritious broth in under two hours from start to finish is a godsend and well worth getting excited about! Another major happening to shout from the roof tops is the passing of our two year Anniversary on the AIP and I really need to update my 'About' page to document just how far we've come. I'll keep you posted on that but, spoiler alert, it's pretty far! So two whole years ... that would be over 700 days since breakfast became "another meal". If you're struggling with that concept, take a look at 85 Amazing AIP Breakfasts.
But back to that bowl! If you were to visit my house and take a peek inside my fridge, you'd come across several ingredients that are guaranteed a place on those overly packed shelves. Let's see - as well as bacon you would find kombucha, sauerkraut, broccoli and cauliflower, daikon, red cabbage, and always a jug or two of various herbs - lots of - given I treat them as greens in the same way I do the ubiquitous collards and kale (which live on the top shelf, btw). Hmm, you'd also see carrots, beets and new additions parsnip and sweet potatoes. Oh, and celeriac, onions, shallots and (no brainer) bone broth. But, I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks she spends half her life in the kitchen, the other half at the grocery store and once in a while along comes a time when the fridge runs to near empty because of a missed a food run for one reason or another. Well, that's how and why this soup came into our lives last week.
It's a great little no-nonsense type of soup, I am thinking restorative don't forget. Don't get me wrong, it is absolutely delicious but its strength is that it is gentle and comforting on the tummy, mild and soothing on the throat and, once you're feeling the merest bit more human, you should then use it as a base for anything you fancy served on the top. For instance I instagrammed it with shredded chicken and dulse flakes the other day. Yum!
Once you're on the road to recovery though, and you really should know this. Crispy shallots take this wonder soup up to another level, they seriously are the way to go. Trust me on this!
{restorative} celeriac zucchini soup with salted crispy shallots
This nourishing soup is gentle and comforting on the tummy, mild and soothing on the throat. A word of warning though, DO NOT forgo the crispy shallots, they are what takes your bowl up to another level!
(Serves 4)
Print the recipe here
for the soup:
1 tbsp lard or other solid fat
1 medium red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
1 large celeriac, peeled and cut into small cubes
1 large zucchini, chopped
2+1/2 cups chicken broth
generous pinch sea salt
for the shallots:
1/4 cup avocado oil
4 large shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
generous pinch crushed sea salt
Melt the lard or fat into a large pan and add the onion. Sauté for 6-8 minutes until softened and translucent. Add the celeriac and zucchini and mix well to coat with the oil and onion. Now pour in the broth, bring up to a simmer and pop a lid onto the pan. Simmer for around 20 minutes until the celeriac is tender.
Meanwhile, cook the shallots. Line a sieve or colander with kitchen paper and sit over a bowl. Also line a large plate with kitchen paper. Heat a medium pan on a medium heat and add the avocado oil and shallots. Turn the heat down to low and fry the shallots, stirring frequently, until they are golden brown. This can take up to 10 minutes but be sure not to ignore them as once they are starting to turn, they will burn quite quickly. Once they are ready, tip the whole lot into the prepared sieve, allowing the oil to drip through into the bowl below. Now transfer the shallots to the lined plate, sprinkle with crushed sea salt and allow to cool completely. They will crisp up once cold.
Put the soup into a blender in small batches, taking great care not to burn yourself. Make sure to leave the feeder cap open to allow steam to escape. Pour it back into the pan, taste and add more salt if you like. Reheat if necessary. If you want it a little thinner, add a touch more broth.
Serve in warmed bowls with a small handful of crispy shallots on the top.
Don't forget you can add in some collagen for extra healing nourishment.
This looks delicious, we'll be having it today! More soup recipes please....
I was just thinking to myself I don't post many soups - I hope you enjoy this one Sarah!
It was just as delicious as I'd hoped - comfort food at its best 🙂
I did have one wee difficulty, though. My shallots refused to go crispy, even after 30 minutes on a medium heat. Was it the fact that I used olive oil (because I didn't have any avocado oil in), or could it be (my Mum's theory) that you have a gas hob, and that would make them cook quicker?
The flavours were great anyway, even without the crunch!
Hi Sarah, glad you liked the soup. That's interesting what you say about the lack of crisp - the type of oil wouldn't make any difference but overcrowding your pan would. I do have a gas hob as it happens but am at a loss as to how that would impact on the cooking time, aside from the fact electric hobs are more of a challenge to regulate temperature. I reckon if you turn your heat up next time that'll get things moving!
Right, I'll put them in a bigger pan and turn the heat up a bit next time (there will definitely be a next time). Thanks Kate 🙂
Wow, this is just in time. As always, you had me at shallots. Celery root is so yummy and creamy too. I've been making LOTS of soups lately and was searching for a new one to add to the repertoire. This looks incredible. Thank you and ditto Sarah's request!
Oh so glad the timing worked for you. Susan, you will love these crispy shallots - they are SO more-ish. I hope you enjoy the soup, too, it's very soothing and nourishing and yes, after our week of them I've realised what I'd been missing in my kitchen. There will be more to come! 🙂
Kate, hope you're all feeling better and that the bug has passed. The Crispy Shallots look brilliant - just what I've been missing - sprinkling something crunchy onto my soups - the crouton effect, which is hard to replicate. Please, update your About page - I'd love to know what's been happening for you and your family on the AIP - two years is such an achievement, I don't know how you've done it - but you must be seeing results, otherwise you wouldn't be sticking with it. I'd love to know how you manage the reintroductions. I'm sure lots of people would be inspired by the update. Best wishes, A
You put the nail on the head - the crouton effect!!
And yes, that About Me Part II will be on its way 🙂 . Best wishes to you, Angie, I hope you're well.
Mine ended up in contrast to recipe photo, a murky swamp brownish red colour that tasted DELISH. Thanks for the post. 10/10.
🙂 Well it’s the flavour that matters in the end. It sounds like you may have got too much colour on your onions, is it possible they caught a bit on the bottom of the pan? In any case, I'm pleased you enjoyed it!
Not one of your recipes ever has the slightest bit of disappointment. You did it again with this one- thank you so much for having the most incredible blog. I love that most of your recipes are also SCD/GAPS and AIP! This soup, like all your others is incredible. I had a leftover rutabaga that I needed to use so I threw it in also- still tasted delicious! Hugs, thank you so much!
Aw thanks so much Kristen, what a lovely start to the day to read your comment 🙂
Just stumbled across this recipe on Pinterest a while ago and it is delicious! It's a part of my regular AIP rotation now. I have countless other recipes from HFE saved and can't wait to try them. Thank you for making this journey yummy!
That's so lovely to hear, thanks for popping in Kim. Enjoy your journey 🙂
This was fantastic!!! I doubled the crispy shallots and didn't regret that. The soup alone is great but the shallots really make it special Thank you!
I love this soup too, I'm so pleased you agree. Yep, crispy shallots are very special!!