Creamy Apple & Celeriac Soup

Ingredients
serves 2-4

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 leek, washed, trimmed and finely sliced
• 1 celeriac, washed, peeled and roughly chopped
• 4 apples, cored and roughly chopped
• a few sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves picked
• 1.5 litres vegetable stock or 2 tsp miso paste
• 1 × 400g tin of butter beans, drained
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

to serve

• a handful of hazelnuts
• 50g butter
• a few sprigs of fresh sage, leaves picked

Method

1. Heat a splash of oil in a large pan, then add the leek and cook over a medium heat for 10 minutes, until soft and sweet. Add the celeriac, apples and thyme and cook for 2–3 minutes, then add the stock (or miso paste and 1.5 litres of water) and butter beans and season well. 
2. Simmer over a low heat for 20–30 minutes, until the celeriac is tender, then remove from the heat and blitz with a hand blender until smooth.
3. Toast the hazelnuts in a frying pan until golden brown then remove from the pan and put to one side. 
4. Lower heat, add the butter to the pan and once it is hot add the sage and fry until it is crispy and the butter is light brown. Keep the heat low for this last bit and take the pan off as soon as you see the butter turn brown, as it can burn really quickly.
5. Ladle into bowls and top with the sage and hazelnut brown butter. Enjoy :)