This is the essence of simplicity, celery root enriched with chicken stock and cream so that all you taste is that fresh celery root flavor. I serve this with a simple roast pork and a bottle of full-bodied Chardonnay; I'm in heaven. You can easily make this a day in advance and reheat it before dinner.

Ingredients

• 5 pounds celery root (2 large)
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 4 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions
1 Peel the celery roots with a large chef's knife and cut each one in half. With the cut side down, cut it in 1/2-inch dice, removing any brown spots. Be careful-keep your fingers out of the way of the knife! 

2 Melt the butter in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add the celery root and saute for 3 minutes, stirring to coat with the butter. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pan, and cook for 10 minutes. Add the chicken stock, cream, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring once, until the celery root is very tender.

3 In batches, transfer the mixture to a food processor fitted with the steel blade and puree until smooth. Return the puree to the pot and reheat gently over low heat. Check the seasonings-it should be very highly seasoned-and serve hot.

Serves 6 to 8

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Excerpted from Barefoot Contessa: How Easy is That? by Ina Garten Copyright © 2010 by Ina Garten. Photographs Copyright © 2010 by Quentin Bacon. Excerpted by permission of Clarkson Potter, a division of Random House of Canada Limited. All rights reserved.