Recipe for Celery and Lemon Soup

INGREDIENTS

1 small onion
1 clove garlic
2 tbsps olive oil
6-8 sticks of celery
One or two sprigs of thyme
1 medium sized potato
1/3 to 1/2 a preserved lemon
vegetable or chicken stock
freshly ground black pepper
parsley to garnish

• Chop the onion and garlic and fry gently in the olive oil for a few minutes in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan.  Remember not to add salt, as the preserved lemon is very salty.
• Chop the celery into small pieces and add to the onion and garlic mix.
• Strip the leaves from the thyme stem and add to the pot. Keep frying over a low heat for a couple of minutes.
• Add the potato - peeled and chopped into small cubes, the finely chopped lemon and enough stock to cover the vegetables generously.
• Season with the pepper to taste.
• Simmer for about 30 minutes until the vegetables are soft, then liquidize until smooth.  I passed the soup through a sieve to ensure that there were no stringy bits from the celery, but you may not feel this to be necessary.
• A squeeze of fresh lemon juice can be added to give it an extra tang, if you like.                                                                                                          
• Serve garnished with chopped parsley.