I have always wanted to do something with fennel. The bulbs are beautiful at the farmer’s market and the fragrance is a pleasant reminder of licorice. I found a recipe for fennel and potato soup which looked easy and adapted it to my taste! You can save the ferny tops and use them to flavor just about anything!
Potato and Fennel Soup
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 large fennel bulb (about 2 pounds), chopped
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 2 large russet potatoes, peeled and sliced
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup milk
- 1 clove of garlic
1) In a Dutch oven, coat the bottom with olive oil and place it over medium heat. Add the fennel, garlic, and onion. Saute until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes.
2) Stir in the potatoes, chicken broth, milk, and salt and pepper. Cover, reduce heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Once they have softened I used a potato masher to mash-up most of the fennel and potato. The recipe calls to blend it but I don’t have an immersion blender and its messy to use a counter top blender. Plus, I like the rustic look and taste of having some large pieces of potato and fennel bulb in the soup.
3) Ladle into individual bowls and garnish with a few fennel leaves. Serve immediately.
The fennel added a sweetness to the usual potato soup flavor. I served the soup with sides of curried chickpeas and potatoes, and rice with zucchini and carrots.
I made buttermilk dill biscuits, too! (recipe will be posted later).
Adapted from http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/recipes/potatofennel-soup/RCP-20049814
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Arthur in the Garden! 