Cream of Celery Soup

From: Soups from a Monastery Kitchen, Brother Victor-Antoine pub Arcadia 1996

Ingredients:
1 garlic clove
6 celery stalks
2 leeks or onions
2 potatoes
3 pints(1.7l) water
8.5 oz (240ml) white sauce*
Salt and pepper to taste
Chopped dill to garnish

Method:
1. Wash, peel and trim the vegetables. Slice them into thin pieces. Pour the water into a large pot, add the vegetables and cook slowly, covered, over medium heat for 45-60 minutes. Add more water if necessary.

2.  In a medium-sized pot, prepare 1 cup (240ml) of white sauce (see recipe below)

3. After the vegetables are cooked, blend the soup in a blender and pour it back into the pot. add the white sauce and seasonings according to taste, Stir well. Serve hoot. Use dill or celery,  leave chopped finely as garnish. If served cold, refrigerate the soup for a few hours before serving. 

*White Sauce
1. Dissolve 2 tbsp cornflour or flour into half a cup of milk
2. Melt 2 tbsp butter in a medium sized pot over medium heat. When the butter begins foaming, add the milk and cornflour/flour mix and stir continuously. 
3. Add a further cup of milk, salt, pepper and a dash of nutmeg and continue to stir until the sauce comes to boil.
4. Lower the heat and continue stirring until the sauce thickens. The sauce is ready when it is smooth and thick.