Creamy Fennel Soup With Herb Salad Food

CREAMY FENNEL AND LEEK SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the butter in a large, deep (preferably non-stick) sauté pan, over a medium heat, add the sliced fennel (NOT the strips of fennel), sliced leek and finely chopped garlic, and sauté, while stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes or until the fennel, leeks and garlic are beginning to soften.
• Remove from the heat, and set aside.
• In a large pot, heat the stock, add the rosemary sprigs, thyme and nutmeg and bring to the boil.
• Simmer over a low heat for about 15 minutes.
• Remove the rosemary sprigs.
• Add the fennel, leek and garlic mixture to the pot, and stir to combine all the ingredients.
• Set the pan in which the fennel, leek and garlic were sautéed aside, for re-use later.
• Allow the soup to cool slightly (10 minutes cooling time should be ample), then blend it in batches in a blender or food processor until smooth.
• As each batch is blended, pour the blended soup into another pot or pan, perhaps the deep pan used earlier to sauté the fennel, leeks and garlic.
• Once all of the soup has been blended, stir it to ensure that it is of an even consistency (inevitably some batches were probably thinner than others).
• Stir the sour cream and the 1/4 cup of parmesan into the soup.
• Reheat the soup over a medium heat until it is hot, but do not allow it to come to the boil.
• Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• Turn off the heat and leave the soup covered so that it stays warm.
• In a small non-stick pan, heat the oil, and sauté the extra leek for 2-3 minutes, or until softened but not browned.
• Ladle the soup into warm soup bowls and top with the sautéed leek.
• Garnish with the extra parmesan and sour cream, and serve immediately with warm crusty rolls.
• Chef's Note: Since posting this recipe, and since last making this soup, I have found and posted a fabulous recipe for vegetable, quite unlike others I have used in the past: Vegetable Stock Recipe #135453.

CREAM OF FENNEL SOUP

Steps:

• Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat and cook onion until soft and translucent. Whisk in flour and stir until a paste forms, 3 to 5 minutes. Whisk water and vegetable bouillon into the saucepan. Add fennel and bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until fennel is soft, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Puree soup with an immersion blender. Stir in cream. If soup is too thick, add more water as needed. Season with salt and pepper.
• Chop fennel fronds. Divide soup between 4 bowls and sprinkle with fennel fronds.

CREAM OF FENNEL SOUP

Steps:

• Cut the feathery tops off the fennel bulbs. Finely mince two tablespoons of the green tops and set aside. Discard the woody stems. Chop the fennel bulbs medium fine.
• Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan. Add the onion and chopped fennel bulb, cover and cook over low heat until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Add the chicken stock and simmer 10 minutes longer.
• Puree the soup in a blender or a food processor. Return it to the saucepan and add the cream. Simmer for five minutes, then stir in the Pernod or Ricard and season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Bring to a simmer. Serve the soup topped with a dusting of chopped fennel tops. If desired, float a teaspoon of caviar on top of each serving.

ROASTED CARROT AND FENNEL SOUP WITH MISO-GLAZED MUSHROOMS AND CASHEW CREAM

Steps:

• Place cashews in a small bowl and pour in water to cover. Let soak at room temperature at least 2 hours and up to 4 hours.
• Preheat oven to 400°. Toss carrots and fennel on a rimmed baking sheet with 2 Tbsp. oil and 1 tsp. salt. Season with pepper. Roast, rotating pan halfway through, until vegetables are just starting to brown around the edges, about 20 minutes.
• Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium-high. Add onion, ginger, and ¼ tsp. salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened slightly and translucent, about 5 minutes. Mix in roasted carrots and fennel, then add mirin, scraping up any browned bits. Pour in broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until vegetables are softened, 30-40 minutes.
• Meanwhile, whisk 2 tsp. miso and 1 Tbsp. warm water in a small bowl to combine. Heat remaining 1 Tbsp. oil in a medium skillet over high. Cook mushrooms, tossing occasionally, until golden brown, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat, add miso mixture, and stir to coat. Set aside.
• Drain cashews and transfer to a blender. Pour in enough water to cover (½-¾ cup) and blend on high speed until smooth and light. (about 2 minutes if you're using a high-speed blender). It should be the consistency of just-whipped cream. Thin with more water if needed.
• Remove pot with carrot mixture from heat and stir in remaining 1 Tbsp. miso. Purée soup with an immersion blender until smooth (or, use a regular blender, working in batches if needed). Thin with more broth or water, if needed. Stir in vinegar; taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed. Stir in ¼ cup cashew cream.
• Ladle soup into bowls and top with reserved mushrooms, a dollop of cashew cream, and reserved fennel fronds.