Soups

Cream of Celery Soup
Fill the house with the scent of fall when cooking this soup. Creamy celery soup is comforting yet rich. The oatmeal adds a velvety texture to the soup and with a little cream it is light and flavorful.
Serves 6

2 shallots, minced
2 small cloves of garlic, crushed
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
4 cups sliced celery
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 sprig fresh thyme
3 sprigs of parsley
1sprig of winter savory or thyme
1/3 cup old-fashioned oatmeal, uncooked

Growing up in Maryland after the crab feast we'd sit around the kitchen table and "pick crabs". The crab "pickings" (meat) was packed and save for crab soup or crab cakes. Crab soup is one of the easiest soups to master. It is an elegant soup to start a meal. Start to finish it will take less than 15 minutes. You could use fresh oysters instead of crab for a wonderful oyster stew. I'm asked by non-Marylanders if we really use Old Bay; of course we do we can't imagine crab without it.

It snowed on Mt. St. Helena this week! Imagine having to use chains in Napa. It is damp and cold here I need some soup to warm my bones, soup is a great "plan ahead" meal. You should double it and freeze the extra for those nights when you have no energy to cook. The oatmeal acts as a thickener and adds more fiber which we all need. Here is one of my favorites mushroom soup enjoy it with your favorite Pinot Noir.

Serves 6

2 tablespoons shallots, minced
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 ounces white wine (chardonnay)

This soup pairs beautifully with Petit Syrah. It brings out the wines' sophisticated fruitiness and light spiciness too. Roasting butternut squash gives the soup a more complex flavor. The oatmeal helps thicken without using fat or starch and is a convenient way to add fiber.

4 Servings

1 small butternut squash, 1 pound
2 carrots, cleaned and cut in 2" pieces
1 apple, peeled and cut in 2" pieces
1 medium onion or ½ large onion
1 shallot, minced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/3 cup oatmeal, (old fashion or quick)