Celery-Blue Cheese Soup with Pumpernickel Croutons
Serves: 4 servings
Ingredients
2 ounces pumpernickel bread slices, cut into ½" cubes
1 Tablespoon butter
3 cups chopped celery
½ cup chopped onion
2 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
2 Tablespoons whole wheat or all-purpose flour
⅛ teaspoon ground red pepper
¼ cup water
¼ cup finely chopped parsley
1-1/2 to 2 ounces blue cheese
Freshly ground black pepper, and salt, to taste
Instructions
Heat oven to 300 degrees. Place pumpernickel cubes on a baking sheet in a single layer; bake about 20 minutes or until crispy. Set aside.
Meanwhile, melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add celery and onion and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, ground red pepper, and ¼ cup water until smooth. Strain into celery mixture using a fine mesh strainer. Cover and simmer for another 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
With a slotted spoon, remove about half of the solids from the pan and transfer to blender or food processor. Puree until smooth and return to saucepan; heat until very hot.
In a small bowl, mash together parsley, blue cheese, and a little of the soup mixture to make a smooth cream. Remove soup from heat and whisk in the cheese mixture until well blended. Taste for pepper and salt. Serve immediately topped with the pumpernickel croutons.
Note: If you want an even creamier soup, you can stir in ¼ cup of heavy cream or half-and-half with the cheese. Fat-free half-and-half even works!
Recipe by The Culinary Cellar at https://theculinarycellar.com/celery-blue-cheese-soup/