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Celeriac Soup with Truffle Oil and Cheese Crisps

Salty, celery-flavoured celeriac makes a wonderful, creamy soup, and when topped with a generous swirl of truffle oil and bits of crunchy, crisped cheese it becomes really special.

Serves 4

1 onion, chopped

1 celeriac, about 700g (1½lb), thickly peeled and cut into 1cm (½in) cubes

1 tbsp olive oil

1.5 litres (2½ pints) water

Salt and black pepper

About 4 tbsp truffle oil, to serve

For the cheese crisps

40g (1½oz) freshly grated Parmesan-style cheese

2 tbsp semolina

1. Fry the onion and celeriac in the oil in a large saucepan, covered, for 5 minutes, until beginning to soften.

2. Pour in 1 litre (1¾ pints) of the water, bring to the boil, then leave to simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the celeriac is tender.

3. Meanwhile, make the cheese crisps: sprinkle just over half the cheese into a large, dry frying pan, to make a thin, lacy layer. Put the frying pan over a moderate heat for about 30 seconds, until the cheese has melted, then sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the semolina over the top, followed by the rest of the cheese, then the last of the semolina. Leave it for about another minute, until the cheese turns pale golden, then take the pan off the heat and leave the crisp to cool in it. It will crisp as it cools and become easy to lift out of the frying pan with a spatula.

4. Blend the soup until it is smooth and creamy, using a hand-held blender or food processor, and adding the rest of the water as necessary to get the consistency you like. Season with salt and pepper.

5. Serve the soup in bowls, swirl some truffle oil on top, then scrunch some of the cheesy crisp over. Serve at once.

Tip: Real Parmesan cheese is not vegetarian because it is made using animal rennet. However, there are a number of strong or hard vegetarian Italian cheeses you can use instead.