Celeriac Soup with Fennel and Apple/Rezeneli Kereviz Çorbası

This is a celeriac or celery root/kereviz soup with a difference and the difference is twofold as it’s based on the addition of two unusual ingredients, fennel and apple. It’s very seasonal and you’ll find it’s just the thing for this in-between weather that we’re having!

at my local Monday market in Selami Çeşme: he’s selling not only celeriac but fresh milk too! You can see he’s very proud of it!

I was with my friend Oya from the very successful website Oya’s Cuisine recently. She has become a minor celebrity after winning a Hürriyet cooking competition and she deserves every bit of her success. I know how much she puts into her website plus she is so enthusiastic and full of ideas, she is a real inspiration! This soup is her idea and I love it.

I love fennel with its anise taste, don’t you? It’s not yet widely available here, nor I imagine, widely known. Currently you can only find it at major supermarkets here in Istanbul; it’s not a pazar regular. Apples on the other hand, are of course everywhere: not as tasty as English ones for some reason, the number of varieties are far fewer for a start. Cooking apples/ekşi elma are only sometimes available.

here are the ingredients for this soup: in front is a giant type of radish/turp – they’re very tasty, not the same as the little ones

You might think that peeling that battered-looking celery root is a bit of a chore but it’s not so bad: trim both ends, saving the green stalks for another day and use your potato peeler.

• 1 large celeriac/celery root/kereviz
• 1 apple (any sort)
• 1 large red radish/turp
• 1 onion
• 1 potato
• 2-3 tbsp fennel root

Prepared vegetables: washed and chopped

• Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the chopped vegetables. Add the bay leaves and seasoning. Cook for 10-12 minutes until soft.
• Add the apple and lemon juice and cook for 5 minutes more.
• Add the chicken stock and apple juice or white wine. Half cover the pan with the lid and cook on a low heat for 20-15 minutes.
• Remove the bay leaves at the end of cooking and use your stick blender to blend the liquid to a smooth purée.
• Add 1 cup hot milk if the liquid is too thick. Add the cream and turn off the heat.
• Garnish with chopped parsley/fennel/dill, and a sprinkling of flaked red pepper!

warm and comforting: celeriac soup with fennel and apple