Ashford's Famous Celery and Cashel Blue Cheese Soup
added 03/07/08
This wonderfully creamy soup recipe is from Ashford Castle in County Mayo,
Ireland. Cashel Blue cheese is handmade in County Tipperary.
Serves 4
2 Tbs. butter
3 celery stalks, chopped
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 cup chopped leek (white part only)
4 cups (32 oz.) chicken stock or canned low-salt
chicken broth
1 lb. potatoes, peeled and diced
4 oz. Cashel Blue cheese, crumbled (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup heavy (whipping) cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
In a large saucepan,
melt the butter over medium heat and sauté the celery, onion, and
leek for 4 to 5 minutes, or until soft but not browned. Stir in the stock
or broth, and bring to a boil. Add the potatoes, reduce heat to low, and
simmer for 45 minutes. Remove from heat, transfer to a blender or food
processor, and purée.
Return the soup to
the saucepan over low heat and slowly add the blue cheese and cream, stirring
constantly. Season the soup with salt and pepper. Correct the consistency
of the soup, if necessary, by adding a little more cream or stock or broth.
Ladle the soup into bowls and serve.
Check out the Co-op Cafe Gallery This Summer
The Co-op Café Gallery came into being in 2002 with a whisper rather than a roar. The Co-op’s Lebanon Food Store had just expanded, using a pleasant open area in a retail footprint previously occupied by another business. From the beginning, the new space seemed perfect—except for its empty walls. So to fill those walls, old Co-op banners, posters, and other promotional materials from days gone by were dug out and put up as a temporary solution. The bright light of the space meshed well with the vibrant colors of the graphic design, and the idea of an art gallery was born.
Meet Mark Langlois
Around the office, he’s affectionately called “farm boy.” Mark Langlois has a sharp mind made for working the numbers and a strong body made for working the farm, so every day he does a lot of both. Mark works in the Co-op’s Accounting Department as our organization’s Controller—which means he maintains and audits our many business accounts. Considering our Co-op’s success, that means Mark carries a lot of responsibility across those broad shoulders of his.
