Tomato Fennel Soup

Tomato Fennel Soup

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

1 medium fennel bulb, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 medium onion, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1/4 cup Pernod

4 cups tomatoes, chopped

2 cups vegetable broth

4 juniper berries

2 teaspoons fennel seeds

salt and black pepper to taste

Minced fresh parsley, garnish

Croutons, garnish

1.  In a large pot over a medium-low, sauté the onion and the fennel in the olive oil and butter. 

2.  Cook, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes, until golden brown.

3.  Add the garlic and continue cooking for 2 minutes.

4.  Turn off the heat or move the pot away from the stove and add the Pernod slowly. 

5.  Add the tomatoes, plus broth. 

6.  Bring to a boil for 1 to 2 minutes, reduce the heat to low, and simmer.

7  Meanwhile, in a small sauté pan over low heat, toast the juniper berries and the fennel seeds.

8.  Swirl them in the pan until fragrant and golden, about 3 to 4 minutes. Set aside to

     cool.

9.  Using a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder, grind the spices until slightly chunky.

10.  Add to the soup and cook for 45 minutes.

11.  Puree the soup in batches in the food processor.

12.  Season generously with salt and pepper. 

13.  Serve hot, garnished with parsley and croutons. 

Fennel and Potato Soup

Fennel and Potato Soup

3 medium fennel bulbs, slice reserve 2 tablespoons of feathery leaves

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 shallots, finely chopped

4 cups veggie stock

1 large russet potato, cubed

dash of nutmeg

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Heat butter and olive oil together in a medium pot over medium-low heat.

2. When butter has melted, add sliced fennel, shallots, and 1 cup of the stock.

3. Cover and simmer gently until fennel is soft and translucent, about 15 minutes.

4. Increase heat to medium, add potatoes and remaining 3 cups stock, and bring to a boil.

5. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer gently until potatoes are very soft and cooked through about 25 minutes.

6. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper.

7. Gently mash the vegetables with a potato masher or the back of a wooden spoon until the soup is thick and chunky (but not puréed), adding a little stock if it becomes too thick.

8. Chop the reserved fennel leaves, then stir into soup.

9. Remove soup from heat and set aside for 5 minutes to allow flavors to develop.

10. Ladle soup into four bowls and serve warm, drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil, if you like.

Yellow Pepper Cream Soup

Yellow Pepper Cream Soup

 

16 yellow bell peppers

4 quartered onions

4 cups condensed milk

½ cup lemon juice

½ cup miso

¼ cup cilantro, chopped

1 teaspoon of fennel 

12 sprigs of cilantro for garnish

1.  Preheat oven 325ºF.

2.  Wash, dry, half and seed peppers, rub skins with oil.

3.  Place pepper halves on a baking sheet along with onion quarters and roast for 30-40 minutes or until pepper skins are soft and begin to shrivel and onion becomes golden brown.

4.  Remove veggies from oven and place peppers in a brown paper bag to steam 10 minutes.

5.  When cool, remove loosened skins from peppers.

6.  In a blender, combine peppers, onion, milk, lemon juice, miso, cilantro, and fennel and blend until smooth.

7.  Serve hot or cold and garnish with cilantro.

Grapefruit Fennel and Parmesan Salad

Grapefruit Fennel and Parmesan Salad

1 ½ tablespoons white wine vinegar
½ teaspoon honey
¼ cup olive oil
2 heads of butter lettuce, leaves torn
1 cup thinly sliced fresh fennel bulb
3 small pink and red grapefruits, sectioned
1 ounce Parmesan cheese, shaved 

½ cup toasted almond slivers

1.  Whisk vinegar and honey in large bowl to blend.

2.  Whisk in olive oil; season dressing to taste with salt and pepper.

3.  Add butter lettuce, and fennel to bowl; toss to coat.

4.  Top salad with grapefruit sections, then Parmesan cheese and almond slivers. Serve.

Mediterranean Eggplant and Fennel Stew

Mediterranean Eggplant and Fennel Stew

1 bulb fresh fennel, cut into 1/4-inch slices, reserve fonds for garnish

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large onion, chopped 

2 teaspoon minced garlic

4 tomatoes, diced 

2 cups vegetable broth

2 medium-sized eggplants, cut into 1-inch cubes 

1/3 cup pitted, chopped kalamata olives

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon of basil

1 bay leaf

2 tablespoons capers

2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

1. Heat oil in 6-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat. 

2. Add onion and garlic, and cook 3 to 5 minutes, or until onion is lightly browned, stirring often. 

3. Add fennel, tomatoes, broth, eggplant, olives, cinnamon, basil, and bay leaf.

4. Bring mixture to a boil. 

5. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook 15 minutes, or until eggplant and fennel are tender, stirring occasionally. 

6. Remove bay leaf. 

7. Submerge immersion blender deep into the mixture to avoid splattering, and purée just enough to thicken the stew. 

8. Stir in capers and vinegar. 

9. Sprinkle with fennel fronds, and serve.

Fennel and Potato Soup

Fennel and Potato Soup

3 medium fennel bulbs

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon of thyme

1 clove of garlic, minced

3 shallots, finely chopped

4 cups veggie stock

1 large russet potato, cubed

2 tablespoons of lemon juice

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Trim, quarter, and core fennel, then slice into medium-size pieces, reserving feathery leaves from one of the bulbs. (You will need about 2 tbsp. of fennel leaves.)

2. Heat butter and olive oil together in a medium pot over medium-low heat.

3. When butter has melted, add sliced fennel, thyme, garlic, shallots, and 1 cup of the stock.

4. Cover and simmer gently until fennel is soft and translucent, about 15 minutes.

5. Increase heat to medium, add potatoes and remaining 3 cups stock, and bring to a boil.

6. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer gently until potatoes are very soft and cooked for about 25 minutes.

7. Season soup to taste with lemon juice, salt, and pepper.

8. Gently mash the vegetables with a potato masher or the back of a wooden spoon until the soup is thick and chunky (but not puréed), adding a little additional stock if it becomes too thick.

9. Remove soup from heat and set aside for 5 minutes to allow flavors to develop.

10. Ladle soup into four bowls and serve warm, garnish with fennel fronds.

Tomato Fennel Soup

Tomato Fennel Soup

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

1 medium fennel bulb, cut into 1-inch pieces, fronds reserved for garnish

1 medium onion, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1/4 cup Pernod liqueur

4 cups of diced tomatoes

2 cups of vegetarian broth

4 juniper berries

2 teaspoons fennel seeds

salt and black pepper to taste

Croutons

1.  In a large pot over a medium-low, sauté the onion and the fennel in the olive oil

     and butter. 

2.  Cook, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes, until golden brown.

3.  Add the garlic and continue cooking for 2 minutes.

4.  Turn off the heat or move the pot away from the stove and add the Pernod slowly.

5.  Add the tomatoes, plus 2 cups broth. 

6.  Bring to a boil for 1 to 2 minutes, reduce the heat to low, and simmer.

7.  Meanwhile, in a small sauté pan over low heat, toast the juniper berries and the fennel

     seeds.

8.  Swirl them in the pan until fragrant and golden, about 3 to 4 minutes. Set aside to

     cool.

9.  Grind the spices until slightly chunky.

10.  Add to the soup and cook 45 minutes.

11.  Puree the soup in batches in the food processor.

12.  Season generously with salt and pepper. 

13.  Serve hot, garnished with croutons, fennel fronds, and drizzle olive oil.

Yellow Pepper Cream Soup

Yellow Pepper Cream Soup

6 yellow bell peppers

1 quartered onion

2 cups condensed milk

¼ cup lemon juice

¼ cup white miso

¼ cup cilantro, chopped

1 teaspoon of ground fennel 

12 sprigs of cilantro for garnish

1.  Preheat oven 325ºF.

2.  Wash, dry, half and seed peppers, rub skins with oil.

3.  Place pepper halves on baking sheet along with onion quarters and roast for 30-40 minutes or

     until pepper skins are soft and begin to shrivel and onion becomes golden brown.

4.  Remove veggies from oven and place peppers in brown paper bag to steam 10 minutes.

5.  When cool, remove loosened skins from peppers.

6.  In blender, combine peppers, onion, milk, lemon juice, miso, cilantro, and ground fennel and

     blend until smooth.

7.  Serve hot or cold and garnish with cilantro.

Sicilian Fennel Salad

Sicilian Fennel Salad

1

3 blood or navel oranges

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2 bunches trimmed arugula

2 medium fennel bulbs, cored, halved and trimmed

1/4 cup oil-cured black olives

1. Trim off and discard peel and all of the white pith from oranges, then slice crosswise into thin rounds and set aside.

2. Mix together olive oil and vinegar in a large salad bowl, then season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

3. Tear arugula into large pieces and arrange in the salad bowl.

4. Slice fennel bulbs into long strips.

5. Toss salad just before serving, adjust seasonings, then arrange orange slices and black olives on top.

Fennel and Potato Soup

Fennel and Potato Soup

This soup can easily be made vegan by using 2 tablespoons of olive oil versus olive oil and butter.

3 medium fennel bulbs, quartered and sliced, reserving the feathery leaves

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 shallots, peeled and finely chopped

4 cups veggie stock

1 large russet potato, peeled and cubed

dash nutmeg

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Heat butter and olive oil together in a medium pot over medium-low heat.

3. When butter has melted, add sliced fennel, shallots, and 1 cup of the stock.

4. Cover and simmer gently until fennel is soft and translucent, about 15 minutes.

5. Increase heat to medium, add potatoes and remaining 3 cups stock, and bring to a boil.

6. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer gently until potatoes are very soft and cooked through about 25 minutes.

7. Season soup to taste with nutmeg, salt, and pepper.

8. Take an immersion blender and blend soup, adding a little stock if it becomes too thick.

9. Remove soup from heat and set aside for 5 minutes to allow flavors to develop.

11. Ladle soup into four bowls, drizzled with olive oil, and a few sprigs of fennel fronds.