Creamy Fennel And Leek Soup
If you've never cooked with fennel, try it! its flavour really is unique. This is a deliciously flavoursome soup blending herbs and spices with fennel and leeks. fennel has long been a central ingredient in many asian (it’s a main component in the chinese five spice powder), middle eastern and european dishes. in the middle ages, its popularity spread northward from the mediterranean area, where it still features in many pasta dishes. This soup is suitable both for day-to-day meals and for dinner parties. to keep it strictly vegetarian, make it with a vegetable stock. for the best results, use a really good stock, preferably home-made. this soup is best made in a large, deep (preferably non-stick) sauté pan with a lid. next time i make it, i’m going to substitute a cup of wine for one of the cups of stock, adding it during the 15 minutes while the soup is simmering.
Steps
Heat the butter in a large , deep saut pan , over a medium heat , add the sliced fennel , sliced leek and finely chopped garlic , and saut , 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 sauted aside , for re-use later.
Allow the soup to cool slightly , 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 saut the fennel , leeks and garlic.
Once all of the soup has been blended , stir it to ensure that it is of an even consistency'.
Ingredients
unsalted butter, fennel bulbs, leeks, garlic cloves, chicken stock, rosemary sprigs, dried thyme, ground nutmeg, sour cream, parmesan cheese, salt & freshly ground black pepper, olive oil