Homemade Cream of Celery Soup

In this time of not letting from a website Daringgourmet.com We always loved as a kid having cream of...rice so after tasting it we added rice and it was so creamy it was like a risotto! 

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 small yellow onion ,finely chopped (about 1 cup)
• 2 cups very finely chopped good quality flavorful celery (about 5 large ribs, organic recommended for optimal flavor).
• 1 large clove garlic ,minced
• 1/3 cup all-purpose unbleached flour
• 1 1/2 cups good quality chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk (or use 3/4 cup milk and 3/4 cup cream for even tastier results)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

• Melt the butter in a Dutch oven or heavy stock pot over medium-high heat and cook the onions, celery and garlic until soft and translucent, 5-7 minutes. Add the flour and cook for another minute. Add the chicken broth and milk/cream and stir until the mixture is smooth. Increase the heat and bring it to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium, add the remaining ingredients, and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Add salt to taste.
• If using as a base for other recipes, this soup will keep in the fridge for at least 3-4 days.

Notes

One batch of this soup is roughly the equivalent (in quantity) of 2 cans prepared canned condensed cream of celery soup ("prepared" meaning 2 cans of added milk). Enjoy as a stand-alone soup or use in any recipe calling for prepared canned condensed cream of celery soup.