Cream of Celery Soup

Adapted from: The Joy of Cooking

What to do with the few stalks of leftover celery? This is easy to make in a pinch because you'll probably have all the ingredients in your fridge and pantry.

1 tablespoon butter
1 cup (or more) chopped celery with leaves
1/3 cup sliced onion (optional)
2 cups chicken stock
1 ½ cups milk
1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch + ½ cup cold milk
2 tablespoons chopped parsley

In a saucepan, sauté celery (and onion) in butter about 2 minutes. Add stock and simmer 10 minutes. Pureé mixture in a blender, then return it to the saucepan. Add 1 ½ cups milk and bring to a boil. In a small cup, dissolve cornstarch into the ½ cup cold milk. Slowly stir it into the hot soup. Bring to the boil point again. Stir and simmer 1 minute. Ladle into bowls and garnish with chopped parsley and croutons.