Ingredients:
3 c diced vegetables, including celery root, celery, fennel, and carrots.
1 sm yellow fleshed potato, peeled and diced (about 1 c)
1 or 2 leeks, white part only, diced (about 1 c)
1 T butter
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
4 c vegetable or chicken broth or water
Handful of mixed finely chopped celery, fennel, and parsley
Ready the diced vegetables, potato, and leeks. Melt the butter in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the vegetables and turn to coat with the butter. Season with 1 t salt, then add 3 c of stock. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 25 minutes, or until the vegetables are very tender.
Scoop out 1 c of the soup, puree it, adding the remaining 1 c of liquid to thin it, and then stir the puree back into the soup. Add the celery and other leaves, season with pepper, and then serve.
Smooth: Stir in the chopped leaves and a smidgen of cream if you want that richness, then season with pepper and serve.
With texture: Give the soup some crunch by scattering toasted bread crumbs over the top or some leftover wild rice and spelt are excellent and give it a little more substance.
(From Deborah Madison's book Vegetable Literacy)