Cream of Celery Soup

Memorial Day weekend. David and Karen and the children, Teddy's Little League game in Burlington on Saturday. I sat in the stands with Helen and watched my nine-year-old grandson play left field in the spring sunshine, and I thought about how many things have to go right, over how many years, for you to end up in those particular stands watching that particular child, and I did not say this to anyone because it would have been embarrassing for everyone involved, especially me.

Teddy got two hits and caught a fly ball. The catch was the moment: he was tracking it before it left the bat, moving into position before most of the other kids on the field had registered where it was going. Watchful. Patient. Decisive when the moment came. I have been watching people think for forty-five years — students, colleagues, my own children — and I know how to read it. He is going to be good at whatever he decides to put that mind toward. The catching of the ball was only incidentally about baseball.

After the game we drove back to the farmhouse for dinner. I made clam chowder — the crowd version, doubled, with a whole pound of salt pork and three cans of clams and enough potatoes to satisfy five children who had spent a morning in the stands eating popcorn and burning energy. The chowder was good. The bread was good. The porch was warm enough to eat outside, barely, with jackets, and the children ate and argued about the game and Teddy explained very carefully to Anna exactly how to catch a fly ball, which is information she received with great patience and zero interest in baseball specifically. She is a good sister. Patient with his enthusiasms. He will be patient with hers.

Helen and I stood on the porch after they drove home and the house was quiet again. May evening. Lake Champlain visible from the back field. Frost at our feet. Everything was fine. Everything was exactly right.

The chowder is what I always reach for when the crowd is big and everyone is cold and hungry at the edges, but the recipe I want to leave here is the one I keep in the background — the cream of celery soup that gets made on the quieter evenings, when there are fewer people to feed and the point is warmth rather than volume. It is the soup Helen asks for. Celery, a good stock, cream, patience. It has none of the drama of a clam chowder and all of the same comfort, and after a day of standing on bleachers watching someone you love do something well, comfort is exactly the category you want to be working in.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 35 min | Total Time: 50 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

1 large bunch celery (about 8–10 stalks), trimmed and chopped, leaves reserved
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup heavy cream
1 medium russet potato, peeled and diced
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt to taste
Fresh parsley or reserved celery leaves, for garnish

Instructions

Sauté the aromatics. Melt butter in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent, about 6–8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
Add celery and potato. Stir in the chopped celery and diced potato. Season with celery salt, white pepper, and thyme. Cook, stirring, for 3–4 minutes until the celery begins to soften.
Simmer. Pour in the broth and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20–25 minutes, until the celery and potato are completely tender.
Blend. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth and creamy. Alternatively, carefully transfer in batches to a countertop blender. Return to the pot over low heat.
Finish with cream. Stir in the heavy cream and heat gently, without boiling, for 3–5 minutes. Taste and adjust salt as needed.
Serve. Ladle into bowls and garnish with fresh parsley or a few tender celery leaves. Good with crusty bread.

Nutrition (per serving)

Cream of Celery Soup — What We Make When the House Is Finally Full Again