Celery Root, Cracked Wheat, and Every- Fall-Vegetable-You-Can-Find Chowder

Any and all fall and winter vegetables work well in this soup. The celery root puree keeps the overall flavors from becoming too sweet and one-note. You could use farro or another grain in place of the cracked wheat, but the soup’s consistency will be thicker and more porridgelike . . . not necessarily a bad thing on a cold day

Great

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

Using a shar? ?aring ?ni?e, cut away all the tough exterior o? the celery root;

Step 2

i? there are dar? ?issures remaining, cut those away, too. Cut it into chun?s.

Step 3

Put the celery root, onions, 1 garlic clove, butter, and ½ cu? water in a medium ?ot with a lid. Add 1 teas?oon salt and about 20 twists o? ?e??er, cover, and bring to a simmer. Coo? until everything is thoroughly so?t, 20 to 25 minutes de?ending on the si?e o? your chun?s. Let this cool ?or a ?ew minutes, then ?uree it in a ?ood ?rocessor or blender. Set it aside.

Step 4

Heat the olive oil in a big sou? ?ot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the remaining 2 garlic cloves and gently toast ?or a ?ew minutes to begin to so?ten the garlic. Add the crac?ed wheat, reduce the heat to low, and coo?, stirring ?requently, to gently toast the grain and dee?en the ?lavor, ? to ?

Step 5

minutes—you’ll smell the grain getting toasty; ta?e care not to burn the garlic. Add the thyme to the ?ot.

Step 6

Add the celery, carrot, turni?, ?otato, and 1 teas?oon salt. Cover and coo?

Step 7

over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are so?t and ?ragrant but not at all browned, 10 to 15 minutes.

Step 8

Add ?ust enough water to cover by ½ inch, ad?ust the heat to a lively simmer, cover, and coo? until the vegetables are all tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Add the ?ale and coo? ?or another ?ew minutes—the ?ale should ?ee? a bit o? bite to it.

Step 9

Stir in the celery root ?uree. ?he ?inal sou? should be nicely thic?, but i? it seems too thic? and ?orridgeli?e, add more water. ?aste the sou? and add more salt i? you li?e, then add lots and lots o? ?e??er so the ?lavors are mellow and sweet ?rom the vegetables with a bit o? heat ?rom the ?e??er.

Step 10

Right be?ore serving, reheat the sou? and toss in the arugula. Serve hot.