'Warm' spices give this celery root soup an extra kick

Slurping up a hot, brothy soup is probably the easiest way to banish any sensation of cold. This celery root soup does just the trick, rounded out with equally "warm" spices as a garnish.

The soup can be served in the not-especially-pretty hollowed-out celery root for an extra dose of charm, but it's not necessary.  

Ingredients (makes 2 portions):

1/4 celery root (or 2 entire celery roots, if using them for serving), 2 medium-sized floury potatoes, 1 onion, 1 garlic clove, 1/2 pear, 100 millilitres dry white wine, 500 millilitres vegetable broth, 100 millilitres heavy cream, 1 tablespoon butter, 1 tablespoon olive oil

2-3 pinches each: cloves, allspice, ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, white pepper, salt 

Preparation:

1. If serving the soup in the roots: Clean celery roots and cut off the tops. Using a melon baller or a small, sharp kitchen knife, hollow out the roots. If needed, cut away at the roots' bottoms in order to make them stand straight. 

2. Peel and coarsely chop celery root and potatoes. If the soup is being served in the roots, instead chop the flesh that was scooped out, and from the top. Peel and finely dice onion and garlic.

3. Finely chop pear, discarding seeds and stem.

4. Heat butter and olive oil in a pan at low heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook until fragrant. Pour in white wine and bring to a boil. Turn down heat, add pear and let sauce reduce down. 

5. Add celery root, potatoes and broth. Bring to a boil, then allow to simmer, covered, at medium heat for about 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are fork-tender. 

6. Meanwhile, combine ground spices in a separate bowl.

7. Using an immersion blender, puree soup. Add heavy cream, puree once more, then heat soup through. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg.

8. Ladle soup into bowls and sprinkle spice mix over it. Set the remaining mix on the table so more spices can be added as desired.