"5th & 6th" Soup

"5th & 6th" Soup http://ift.tt/1q79Dhp

My recipe

Makes about a 12 count 2-cup bowls of soup.

1 bushel of celery 2 medium sized crowns of cauliflower 2 to 3 cups diced cooked ham 1 lg white onion Thyme White Pepper Corn starch (or flour if…)

4-5 quart slow cooker crock pot kind of thing Sharp knife & cutting board Big cooking pot, stove, enough to steam/boil up two heads of cauli & bunch of celery Blender or something that will puree Colander for straining Whisk & measuring cups Wooden spoon & ladle Fork, spoons, serving bowls

Chop up cauliflower to 2 to 3 inch cube chunks (roughly).

Pick off the leaves of the celery and save for later (refrigerate)

Chop up 1/8th to ¼ inch wide slices of celery from the tapered ends of the stalks to make about 2 cups and save for later (refrigerate)

Chop up the big ends of the celery

Boil/steam the cauli & celery chunks until somewhat tender, no worries, it’ll be pureed anyway

Chop up onion

Dice the ham, fine

(note: If you use ham that is dyed with artificial color, or if you would like less salt, soak ham in fresh water in your fridge overnight to get that bad stuff out. Drain it and discard the soaking water after, of course)

Drain cooked cauli & celery, save veggie broth (Use your oven mitts, don't scald yourself!)

Xfer cooked cauli & celery & chopped onion to blender and puree thoroughly (depending on size of blender, may take a few goes). Add in water/ veg broth slowly until the puree is a nice consistency, Something not runny, clings to a spoon with a thin veneer of sorts.

In a small drinking glass or mixing bowl, mix with a fork or small whisk about a tablespoon of corn starch (or flour) in about a half-cup of COLD water and add to puree. This will help thicken the soup.

Add puree of celery, cauli, and onion to a 4 to 5 quart slow cooker or crock pot. Add the saved chopped celery pieces, diced ham.

Add about 1 to 1 & ½ tablespoons of thyme

Add about 1 to 1 & ½ tablespoons of white pepper

Stir up the mix in the slow cooker

Cook on low for 6+ hours or high for 3.5 hrs. You’ll know it’s done when the celery pieces are tender.

In the last half hour to 45 minutes of cooking, add in the celery leaves.

Ladle out into serving bowls, garnish with one uncooked celery leaf each if you want fancy presentation.

bon appetit