A Garden Patch Of Celery

For some reason in the excitement of my new garden this past spring, I planted a big bed of celery. True, I like to add the cleanly flavorful leaves to sauces and herb salads but rarely do I make a side dish of braised celery as the Italians do. Most recipes I whip up use just a couple stalks. So now with a patch brimming with bright green stalks I needed recipes featuring this oft maligned vegetable.
Today I stared with this creamy celery soup based on one I found at marthastewart.com.
I sautéed one chopped onion, one peeled, cubed potato, and about 15 stalks of celery with the leaves in a good sized knob of butter. After 10 minutes or so I added in 6 cups of water and S&P to season and brought the liquid up to a boil. After simmering for 20 minutes the potato and celery were tender and the broth delicately flavored. In two batches, I puréed the soup in the blender along with a good sized dollop of creme fraiche.
Even creamier might have been better (or with a "little garlic and onion" as James generally suggests) but all in all not bad for a quick, garden fresh, homemade soup. Just right for dipping a gooey grilled cheese.