July 21, 2007: Fennel Leek Soup

We needed a ameliorate excuse for our trip to Preston Markets than merely the nearby bakery, hence earlier nosotros ready off nosotros dug upwards this fennel leek soup recipe from our Moosewood cookbook for Lord's Day night's dinner. It was loaded upwards heavily alongside vegetables as well as seemed similar it would move a decent winter's dinner. The recipe took a fleck longer than I anticipated - yous basically destination upwards making your ain stock for the base of operations of the soup - as well as the in conclusion production was a niggling brusk on flavor (at to the lowest degree partly due to my forgetting to lay pepper in), but yet heavy, warming as well as satisfying. The thin-sliced radishes were a fine accompaniment, equally were the croutons that Cindy made upwards from the fresh staff of life we'd picked upwards at the markets, but the whole bundle was merely slightly brusk of flavour. It's something to plow over - perchance upwards the leek content for side past times side time.

Fennel leek soup (courtesy Moosewood Restaurant's New Classics)
ane fennel bulb, trimmed
3 leeks
ii carrots, peeled as well as chopped
four large potatoes, peeled as well as chopped
ane teaspoon dried thyme
ane teaspoon fennel seeds
ii teaspoons salt
ii tablespoons olive oil
ii cups spinach, rinsed as well as stemmed
ii tablespoons chopped dill
Juice of ane lemon
10 cups of water
Thinly sliced radishes
Croutons

Trim off the odds as well as ends from the leeks as well as fennel bulb as well as rinse them (the odds as well as ends I mean) thoroughly. Keep the expert bits aside for later. Place the odds as well as ends inwards a large pot along alongside the carrots, one-half the potatoes, the thyme, fennel seeds as well as around salt. Cover alongside the H2O as well as boil for 45 minutes or an threescore minutes to brand stock.

While the stock is simmering, while the fennel bulb thinly as well as chop the white parts of the leeks up. Heat the olive fossil oil inwards a pan as well as saute the fennel as well as leek for almost fifteen minutes, until they're soft.

Strain the stock as well as and hence lay the stock, the fennel as well as leek as well as the remaining potatoes dorsum into the large pot as well as simmer it all for almost fifteen minutes. Stir inwards the spinach, dill, lemon juice as well as the balance of the tabular array salt (and the pepper!).

Puree the soup inwards batches inwards a nutrient processor until smooth. Serve it upwards alongside a handful of radish slices as well as a few croutons floating on top.