Celery Soup

March: National Celery Month

March 31: National Celery Day

The month of March is associated with the color green since the Emerald Isle’s patron saint, Patrick of Ireland, is honored on March 17.

This reminds us of when Islander used to work in retail at a bridal shop. She had to put tags on the new shipment of bridesmaids’ gowns in the trendiest colors of the time: aubergine and celadon. What exactly were those hues? Aubergine is French for eggplant and sounded more chic for a deep purple. So she figured that celadon meant celery since the color was close to that of the vegetable, too. Wrong. Celadon is a shade of green commonly used in Asian pottery. But Islander will remember the word association for celadon and celery.

That brings us to a celery soup recipe, which barely even cooks to the color of celadon! Even with the help of leeks as an ingredient, the white sour cream dilutes the whole green color of this dish. Although the color was disappointing, the soup was delicious.

Get some green gourmet going on and cook some celery soup during the month of March, National Celery Month, especially on the last day, March 31, National Celery Day.

Recipe

(Adapted from Food and Wine)

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 leeks, thinly sliced
• 2 onions, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 12 celery ribs, thinly sliced
• 6-8 cups of water
• ½ cup sour cream

Directions

Prepare the vegetables by chopping and slicing the leeks, onions, garlic and celery.

In a large pot, slowly melt 4 tablespoons of butter. Add the leeks, onions and garlic. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat until softened but not browned (about 10 minutes). Add the celery and sauté until softened (about 3 minutes). Add 6-8 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to simmer for about 40 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Transfer the soup in batches to a blender. Puree until smooth. Return the puree to the pot and heat through. Stir in the sour cream and adjust the seasonings. Ladle into soup bowls. Serve hot with garnishes of celery sticks and sprinkles of parsley flakes.

Notes 

• At her oft-mentioned friend Lisa L.’s wedding in Germany, as the maid of honor Islander wore a light green gown. Although there are subtle differences in the hue’s shade, this particular dress manufacturer labeled it in a more understandable color instead of celadon: sage.
• We like our celery soup thicker so only added 6 instead of 8 cups of water. Add more water to make a thinner soup.

Sfinge di San Giuseppe

(Cream Puffs of St. Joseph)

March 19: Feast Day of St. Joseph

In our nearly 19 years of marriage (since 1996), we have moved five times (excluding the time we lived apart for a year when Islander took a temporary job back home in Hawaii while Highlander stayed in New Jersey for his job). We are aware of the legend of the St. Joseph statue to sell a house—and we do have such a statue. But we have not followed tradition by burying it upside down in the front lawn when we put our homes on the market. We just relied on God for His timing and His care whenever we moved.

St. Joseph is known as the patron saint of real estate and home sales. The earthly father of the Jesus was a good role model to the Christ Child, providing a happy and stable home life to Jesus and his wife Mary. We admire the virtues of St. Joseph and are honoring him on his feast day by making an Italian-style cream puff called Sfinge di San Giuseppe.

Recipe

(Adapted from Recipe Goldmine)

For the filling

• 2 cups ricotta cheese
• ½ cup powdered sugar
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• 1/3 cup chocolate, grated (we used mini chocolate chips)
• 2 tablespoons pistachios, finely chopped

Directions

In a bowl, cream the ricotta cheese with the powdered sugar and cinnamon. Stir in the vanilla.

Mix in the grated chocolate or mini chocolate chips and chopped pistachios. Cover and chill to thicken.

For the cream puffs

• 1 cup water
• 1/3 cup butter, unsalted
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• zest of 1 lemon
• pinch of salt
• 1 cup flour, sifted
• 4 eggs, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon vanilla

Directions

In a large pot, boil the water with the butter, sugar, lemon zest and salt. When the butter is melted, remove from heat. Add the flour and quickly stir until the mixture forms a ball and pulls away from the sides of the pot.

Return to the stovetop on medium heat and beat in the eggs one at a time until well blended. Stir in the vanilla. Remove from heat and let the dough rest in the covered pot for 15 minutes. Line a baking sheet with buttered parchment paper. Scoop a tablespoon of the dough onto the baking sheet about two inches apart. Bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool.

For the topping

• Powdered sugar
• Maraschino cherries, drained

Directions

When ready to serve, slice each puff and sandwich the filling between it. Or spoon the filling over the top of each puff. Arrange on a platter and sprinkle powdered sugar over the puffs and top each with a maraschino cherry. Serve immediately so the puffs do not get soggy.

Notes

• Various versions of the St. Joseph cream puff recipe are called sfinge/sfingi and zeppole/zeppola. Some deep fry the pastry balls/fritters, some are star-piped into circles, some are drizzled with chocolate and some have a custard-like cream filling piped inside.
• Joseph has another feast day on May 1, which honors him as the patron saint of labor workers.

Irish Oatmeal Cookies

March 17: Feast Day of St. Patrick

Highlander likes to eat oatmeal for breakfast to begin his workday at the top o’ the mornin’! And sometimes he can’t resist eating oatmeal cookies for a sweet snack to sustain him through the rest o’ the day. So especially in observance of St. Patrick’s Day, we used two Irish imported products to make Irish oatmeal cookies—McCann’s Irish Oatmeal and Kerrygold Butter. The recipe yields over three dozen cookies, which are enough to share with Highlander’s lucky co-workers! Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

A wish that every day for you

will be happy from the start

and may you always have good luck

and a song within your heart.

~Irish Blessing

Recipe

(Adapted from McCann’s)

Ingredients

• 1 ¼ cup (2 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 ½ cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 cups quick cooking oatmeal
• ¾ cup raisins
• ½ cup walnuts, chipped

Directions

In a mixing bowl, cream the butter with the brown and white sugars. Beat in the egg. Stir in the vanilla.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda and ground cinnamon. Gradually add this to the butter mixture. Blend well. Stir in by hand the oatmeal, raisins and walnuts.

Scoop a tablespoon onto lightly greased cookie sheets. Flatten slightly with the ball of your hand. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it sit on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Yield: Approximately 3-4 dozen cookies.

Notes

• Highlander traced his ancestry to Ireland and is considered an Ulster-Scot. 
• Search our blog for other Irish-inspired recipes for St. Patrick’s Day.