Celery, Cauliflower, and Leek Soup

We are getting a little breather from the heat and humidity around here, so I jumped at the chance to make soup!

The truth is I had a large bag of celery that I needed to use Asap, so I needed to find a recipe where celery is the star rather than the usual side kick. The choice fell on this recipe from delicious living. I thought the addition of cauliflower and leek sounded like a great combination. I made a few minor tweaks, and the soup is wonderfully tasty, but needs a little help with presentation. A sprinkling of herbs or oil, or a few croutons or bacon lifts it up considerably. Serve with bread.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
8 stalks of celery, thinly sliced
1 medium leek, white and green parts thinly sliced
1 pound fresh cauliflower (frozen can be used), chopped
4 cups vegetable broth
3 sprigs fresh thyme
Salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation:

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add celery and leek and cook until just softened, about 5 minutes. Add cauliflower, broth and whole thyme sprigs.. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, until vegetables are tender, 15-20 minutes. Remove thyme sprigs. Puree soup with an immersion blender or in batches in a regular blender. Season with salt and pepper and any other spices you like.Garnish to your hearts desire!

Serves 6