The Purge

No, I am not talking horror flicks. I am talking the periodic refrigerator purges where you reach way to the back of the refrigerator to find all sorts of things that need to get used up or thrown away. This purge contained all sorts on things from the last couple CSA shares that were relatively foreign to me. Kohlrabi and Celeriac were at the top of the list. I had NO idea what to do with this stuff and most of the online recipes were either roast or mash. I really didn't want to do either since I wasn't sure if I even liked these things. I started with the kohlrabi - I peeled it and gave it a taste - it tasted similar to raw white potato. I could work with that. I peeled the celeriac - whoa - very strong scent of celery. So, with the potato taste and celery smell I naturally thought I would make soup out of this stuff. I had all sorts of other odds and ends laying around that would lend themselves well to soup. What I ended up with was a banging vegetable chowder that I am hoping will freeze well (fingers crossed) so I can enjoy it through the coming winter months. The stuff was seriously delicious and now I am much less intimidated by those strange vegetables. In addition, this soup is easy to make as a vegetarian or even vegan soup with a few simple swaps and omissions. To make more hearty you could add leftover ham, chicken, bacon or any combination of the three!

Creamy Vegetable Chowder

2 TBS bacon fat (can sub veg oil to make vegetarian/vegan)
1 leek sliced
3 cloves garlic peeled
1 medium red onion peeled and cubed
3 small russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
3 small kohlrabi peeled and cubed
2 small celeriac (celery root) peeled and cubed
1 can chicken stock (can sub vegetable stock to make vegetarian/vegan)
1 can water
1-2 vegetable bouillon cubes
1 C half and half (omit to make vegan)
4 oz marscapone cheese (omit to make vegan)
3 ears fresh corn kernels or 1 can corn
3-4 small carrots sliced thin
1 generous cup fresh spinach chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

A bacon fat/vegetable oil to a stock pot over medium heat until hot.
Add garlic, leeks, and red onion and saute until soft.
Add potatoes, kohlrabi, celeriac, water and chicken/vegetable stock, bouillon cubes
Place lid on pot and simmer until vegetables are soft
Once vegetables are soft use an immersion blender to puree until smooth.
Add half and half and marscapone cheese and stir to incorporate fully
Add corn, carrots, and spinach and cook until carrots are soft.
Add salt and pepper to taste
Serve hot.