Celeriac Velouté

To prepare the celeriac velouté, first, clean the vegetables: rinse the leeks under running water, remove the green part 1 and the root part found at the opposite end, then make a longitudinal incision with the knife and remove the tougher outer leaves 2; finally, cut the leek stem into chunks about an inch thick 3. You should obtain approximately 10 oz of cleaned leek.

Now move on to the celeriac: wash it thoroughly under running water to remove soil residues, then remove the peel with the sharp blade of a knife 4 and cut it first into slices 5 and then into chunks about an inch thick 6. You should obtain approximately 2.5 lbs of cleaned celeriac.

Heat the oil in a saucepan, add the sage leaves (save a couple of leaves for the final garnish) and let them flavor the oil for about 5 minutes over medium-low heat 7, then remove them with kitchen tongs 8. At this point, add the leek chunks 9

and the celeriac 10, increase the heat and toast them for another 5 minutes, then pour in cold water 11, cover with a lid 12 and let it cook over medium heat for about 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, arrange the peeled hazelnuts on a baking sheet 13 and toast them in a preheated fan oven at 375°F for about 15 minutes or until golden brown 14; once toasted, coarsely crush the hazelnuts by pressing them with the flat side of a knife blade 15.

Finally, finely chop the sage leaves you set aside 16. After the cooking time for the vegetables, turn off the heat and blend everything with an immersion blender 17 until you get a creamy mixture 18.

Pour the cream into a sieve and strain it with a spatula to obtain a velvety texture 19. Add the fresh cream 20 and grated nutmeg 21 and mix well.

Now you can transfer the velouté to a deep dish 22, garnish the surface with toasted hazelnuts 23, add a bit of chopped sage, and a grind of pepper: your delicious celeriac velouté is ready to be enjoyed 24!