2cupsvery finely chopped good quality flavorful celery(about 5 large ribs, organic recommended for optimal flavor).
1large clove garlic,minced
1/3cupall-purpose unbleached flour
1 1/2cupsgood quality chicken broth
1 1/2cupswhole milk(or use 3/4 cup milk and 3/4 cup cream for even tastier results)
1teaspoonsalt
1/2teaspoonsugar
1/8teaspoonfreshly ground pepper
Instructions
Melt the butter in a Dutch oven or heavy stock pot over medium-high heat and cook the onions, celery and garlic until soft and translucent, 5-7 minutes. Add the flour and cook for another minute. Add the chicken broth and milk/cream and stir until the mixture is smooth. Increase the heat and bring it to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium, add the remaining ingredients, and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Add salt to taste.
If using as a base for other recipes, this soup will keep in the fridge for at least 3-4 days.
Notes
One batch of this soup is roughly the equivalent (in quantity) of 2 cans prepared canned condensed cream of celery soup ("prepared" meaning 2 cans of added milk). Enjoy as a stand-alone soup or use in any recipe calling for prepared canned condensed cream of celery soup.If you have recipes that call for "undiluted" (no added liquids) canned condensed cream of celery soup you can make a more diluted, concentrated version of this recipe by cutting down on the amount of liquids and flour (by as much as half) and leaving the other ingredient quantities the same. The soup will be thicker, more like a puree, and the flavor will be more concentrated. Then you can use it as recipes calling for the undiluted canned soup direct.