TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

This Little Foodie Went To Market

Photo by LYNN KESSEL

Celery root is often an overlooked vegetable. It has a faint earthy scent and a subtler sweeter flavor than celery stalks. This perfectly smooth, pureed celery root soup comforts the palette. Try sprinkling smoked sea salt on top for a surprisingly delicious combination.

ADVERTISEMENT

By LYNN KESSEL

Tribune Correspondent

Published: January 21, 2009

It has to be a very tasty carrot to lure me over the Sunshine Skyway. Call it bridge jitters.

Even though I'm a 5-foot-10-inch tall woman, heights make me skittish. Go figure. But the Saturday Morning Market in the heart of beautiful downtown St. Petersburg beckoned.

Outfitted with our empty canvas bags, my better half and I arrived shortly after the market opened at 9 a.m. We quickly found parking at the Baywalk Garage for only $1. I was in love with this place already!

A short walk a scenic two blocks and there we were at the Al Lang Stadium parking lot at the corner of First Avenue South and First Street.

In its seventh season, the market was lined with tent after tent with sociable vendors selling everything from fresh fruits and vegetables to bed sheets made from bamboo - all in a lovely waterfront setting.

What a great atmosphere to stop and chat with merchants and the regulars who share a passion for eating well, exchanging recipes and talking about food. The sound of live music and smell of baked breads, barbecue and slowly stewed sauces wafted through the air. I swear, it was a food columnist's paradise.

The market is much more than a veggie stand. It features nontraditional items such as wine slush mixes, homemade dog biscuits, toffee and soaps.

Not to worry, though. Fresh fruit and vegetables abound, from softball-sized pummelos, blood navel oranges and other citrus to avocados, golden pineapples and tomatoes galore.

Valerie Brandli has sold her jewelry creations there since the market opened. When I passed by her Living Art Studios booth, she was eating her "breakfast," a pulled pork sandwich she buys every Saturday from M-N-M BBQ. Upon her recommendation and much consideration - OK, maybe about four seconds of contemplation - I knew what I was having for lunch.

But there was so much more to tempt me than barbecue.

There were crepes with scrambled eggs and ham drizzled with a creamy Wisconsin cheddar sauce, homemade Belgian waffles, guava and cream cheese pastries, fresh hummus and Baba ghanoush, a middle Eastern specialty.

I saw a variation on a Hispanic classic that looked exceptional: a warm, cheesy and crunchy combo of mozzarella melted between cornmeal pancakes. The choices were endless.

So what was it that ended up in my stuffed canvas bag that excited me most?

It was a 4-ounce container of smoked sea salt I plucked from the shelf at the VSpicery booth. This culinary gem would be the piece de resistance on my puree of celery root soup, this week's recipe.

On the way home, as I was hugging the inside lane of the Bob Graham span-in-the-clouds, I had to admit that the gulf view and entire market experience more than compensated for my white knuckles. P.S. The market's season runs from October to the end of May.

PUREE OF CELERY ROOT SOUP

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 leeks, cleaned and chopped

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

3 pounds of celery root, peeled and cubed

1 quart vegetable or chicken stock

2 cups water

Sea salt

White pepper, freshly ground

Smoked sea salt, optional

Heat the butter and olive oil in a large pot. Add the leeks and stir frequently. Saute until softened but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to cook until the leeks and garlic are translucent. Add the celery root, vegetable stock and water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer about 40 minutes, until the celery root is tender when pierced with a fork. In a blender, puree the soup in small batches until smooth.

Season with salt and pepper to taste. If the soup is too thick, it can be thinned with water or stock. Garnish with a puddle of olive oil and a sprinkling or two of smoked sea salt. Serve with toasted baguette or crisp bread.

Lynn Kessel can be reached at lkessel@mac.com or P.O. Box 913, Ruskin FL 33575-0913. For more of her recipes, visit southshore .tbo.com and enter the search words: Lynn Kessel. Readers are encouraged to send in their favorite recipes, comments and suggest

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT