Equipment
Ingredients
Soup Base
- 30 ml olive oil
- 225 g onion, diced
- 100 g leek, finely sliced
- 340 g salsify, thinly sliced
- 75 g celery, thinly sliced
- 1425 ml vegetable stock
Seasoning and Finish
- 2 g salt
- ½ g white pepper
- 20 ml white truffle oil
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 242 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbohydrates
- 29 g
- Fat
- 13 g
- Fiber
- 5 g
- Sugar
- 6 g
- Sodium
- 1313 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 2 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 9 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 1 g
- Potassium
- 570 mg
- Calcium
- 97 mg
- Iron
- 1.6 mg
- Magnesium
- 38 mg
- Phosphorus
- 104 mg
- Zinc
- 0.6 mg
- Vitamin A
- 75 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 16 mg
- Vitamin E
- 2.1 mg
- Vitamin K
- 25 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.4 mg
- Thiamin
- 0.19 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.26 mg
- Niacin
- 1.1 mg
- Folate
- 56 mcg
- Water
- 503 g
Sources: USDA FoodData Central
Method
Heat 30ml olive oil in a 3-quart saucepan over medium heat.
Add 225g diced onion and 100g sliced leeks to the pan. Sauté for 20 minutes until soft, ensuring the vegetables do not brown.
Increase heat to medium-high and add 340g sliced salsify and 75g sliced celery. Cook for 2 minutes while stirring.
Pour in 1425ml vegetable stock. Bring the liquid to a simmer at approximately 95°C (203°F).
Partially cover the pot and cook for 50 minutes until the salsify slices are completely tender.
Transfer the soup to a blender in batches. Puree until the mixture is completely smooth.
Pass the pureed soup through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean saucepan to remove any remaining fibers.
Reheat the soup gently. Season with salt and white pepper to taste.
Ladle the soup into bowls. Drizzle each serving with 5ml of white truffle oil if using.
Chef's Notes
- For the best flavor, use fresh, firm salsify. Look for roots that are not bruised or soft.
- When sautéing the onions and leeks, low and slow is key to developing sweetness without browning, which can impart a bitter taste to the delicate soup.
- Don't skip the straining step; salsify can be fibrous, and a fine-mesh sieve ensures a luxuriously smooth texture.
- Taste and adjust seasoning at the very end. The saltiness of the stock can vary, and the truffle oil itself adds another layer of flavor.
- To enhance the creaminess without adding dairy, you can reserve a small amount of the cooked salsify and celery before blending, then stir it back into the pureed soup.
Storage
Refrigerator: 4 days — Store in an airtight container.
Freezer: 3 months — Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Reheating: Warm in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until it reaches 74°C/165°F.
Troubleshooting
Soup has a bitter or burnt aftertaste
Cause: Onions or leeks were browned during the initial sautéing phase
Fix: Cannot be fixed; can be slightly masked with a pinch of sugar or more stock
Prevention: Keep heat low and stir frequently during the first 20 minutes
Soup texture is fibrous or grainy
Cause: Salsify was undercooked or the sieve was too coarse
Fix: Re-blend for a longer duration and pass through a finer sieve or cheesecloth
Prevention: Simmer until salsify is very soft and use a fine-mesh sieve
Cultural Context
Salsify, often called the 'oyster plant' for its subtle oceanic flavor, has a history rooted in European cuisine, particularly France. It was a popular root vegetable in the 18th and 19th centuries, often prepared in ways similar to parsnips or potatoes. This soup showcases its delicate, earthy notes, elevated by classic French aromatics like leeks and finished with a luxurious touch of truffle oil, a common pairing in haute cuisine.
