A very happy Imbolc

Thig an nathair as an toll
Là donn Brìde,
Ged robh trì troighean dhen t-sneachd
Air leac an là ir.

“The serpent will come from the hole
On the brown Day of Brigid,
Though there should be three feet of snow
On the flat surface of the ground.”*

As we sit on our little tightrope, halfway between the last soltice and the next equinox, let us all give a sigh of relief that the world is still turning and indeed spring is sprung (though I’ve yet to see a snowdrop but I’m sure these guys have).

Being nurtured in the belly, as the name Imbolc suggests (apparently a lambing derived title), is a great notion for this time of year I reckon. One other great notion is to make soup. This can be done anytime, doesn’t have to be a special day – though if you follow the directions below you’re sure to make it a special day, even if you weren’t especially fussed about having one 🙂

Celeriac and roasted hazelnut soup

(from Dennis Cotter’s Paradiso cookbook, though I couldn’t resist toying with it (see all the asterisked items? they’re new bits that we added!))

Ingredients

• 2 onions
• 6 cloves garlic
• 500g celeriac
• 150g potatoes
• 1.2 litres veggie stock (Marigold bouillon does the trick)
• 40g haselnuss
• 1tsp dried dill
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• good olive oil
• 1 inch bit of fresh turmeric (or 1tsp dried turmeric)*
• 1/2 tsp cocoa powder*
• 1 can coconut milk*
• a couple of handfuls of medium spinach

First chop the onions, garlic and turmeric and sweat for about 10mins on a low heat (till the onions are clear not browned). Meanwhile peel and roughly chop the celeriac (till it begins to look like something you could eat) and scrub the potatoes and coarsely chop them too.

Stick the lot in with the onions, garlic and turmeric, adding the stock and simmer for 25mins or until everything is nice and tender but not completely soggy. Roast the hazels, taking care not to overdo it, then peel them by rubbing with a kitchen towel. Dennis has a lovely saying about this: ‘ …the skins will simply fall away after one or two rubbings. Any stubborn patches of skin are best ignored, they may have their reasons’. I love the anthropomorphism of the simple hazel; what a riot. Blitz the hazels till they’re a floury consistency – it’s the flavour that we want, not a crunchy soup.

Blitz the pan till it’s pretty lumpless and then add the coconut milk to give your desired consistency. Stir in the dill, nutmeg and cocoa powder and season generously. Mr Cotter dresses his with sauteed leeks but I’m sure you guys can think of equally fancy bits to dribble, sprinkle or otherwise cover the top of what is the bestest celeriac soup I’ve ever tasted.

*Source: Carmichael, Alexander (1900) Carmina Gadelica: Hymns and Incantations, Ortha Nan Gaidheal, Volume I,

**Molto apologisato to Dennis for messing with his recipe, I hope he won’t mind. It’s just that I find celeriac soups all a bit sweety sweet – earthing them with the turmeric and cocoa (this was a quasi-accidental genius moment).