Lara’s Celeriac, Jerusalem artichoke and roast chestnut soup with crispy bacon and butter bread (Score 118.5/150)ara

A hearty winter warmer served with a chilled sparkling Seppelt shiraz.

Ingredients:

One brown onion
One celeriac
10 Jerusalem artichokes
15 chestnuts
One carton of chicken stock
two small tubs of Creme Fraiche D’isigny
Four middle bacon rashers
Squeeze of lemon juice
Knob of butter
Good slug of maple syrup
Ayurvedic magic salt
Cracked black pepper

Method:

Start by dicing the celeriac, jerusalem artichoke and onions.
Don’t be put off by the sheer ugliness of the two first ingredients, celeriac and jerusalem (f)artichokes (!), although quite possibly the worst looking vegetables of this season, once peeled and chopped are just delicious!
TIP: Once you have peeled the jerusalem artichokes, plunge them into cold water before dicing to stop them from discoloring.
In a large pot, melt a large knob of butter.
Add the diced veggies, salt and pepper and allow them to sweat down for 10-15 minutes.
In the mean time, score the top of the chestnuts with a sharp knife (to stop them from exploding in the over)
Sling them in a baking tray and roast for 30 minutes.

Once the veggies have softened, pour the stock over them and allow that to simmer for 10 minutes.
Peel the roasted chestnuts and throw them into the mix.
Add the Creme Fraiche D’isigny, slug of maple syrup and squeeze the juice of one plump lemon into the pot.
Allow to cook for another 5 minutes, then puree in batches in a blender until smooth and creamy.
Chop the bacon into little pieces and dry fry until crispy.

Pour the soup into bowls, top with the crispy bacon and buttered, toasted Ciabatta de cassa bread.Garnish with a sprig of something green and tasty looking ; )