Cold celery soup with zaatar croutons--recipe for Bloody Frida

I know this isn’t perfume-related, but Bloody Frida expressed interest in my recipe for zaatar croutons (mentioned in my post on L’air du Desert Marocain) so I figured I’d just put the whole recipe up. This is very nice for hot evenings like tonight, and costs almost nothing in both time and supplies to make.

Cold cream of celery soup:

cut the washed hearts of three celery bunches (leaves and all of any stalks that are not coarse and darker green)

cut up two onions and peel ten garlic cloves

melt 1/5 c. butter in a large pot

Add celery, onions, and garlic.

Cover and cook on lowish heat, stirring occasionally, until celery and onions have softened completely. (approx 30-40 min.)

Add a little stock if necessary to allow the soup to blend

blend soup ‘til creamy, adding half and half or evaporated milk to taste. 

Chill, and serve with:

Za’atar croutons:

put some extra virgin olive oil in a bowl, cover, and put in the fridge a few hours ahead.

When the oil has solidified, spread it on sliced bread like butter.

sprinkle a little under a centimeter of zaatar on the bread, then toast for 10 min.

Allow to cool, then cut into small squares (don’t worry if some of the zaatar has fallen off—you can still make sure it gets in the soup as part of the garnish)

Serve and enjoy!