Fennel And Potato Soup Recipes

ROASTED-POTATO FENNEL SOUP

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• In a large bowl, toss the potatoes with 1/4 cup olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. Spread on a baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes, until cooked through.
• Saute the onions and fennel with 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large stockpot on medium heat until translucent, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the roasted potatoes (including the scrapings from the pan) and the chicken stock. Cover and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 1 hour, until all of the vegetables are very soft. Add the heavy cream and allow the soup to cool slightly. Pass the soup through the largest disk of a food mill or chop coarsely in batches in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Taste for salt and pepper. Reheat and serve hot.

POTATO-FENNEL SOUP

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Make the broth: Cut off the dark green tops of the leeks and put in a large pot along with the fennel stems and fronds; add 8 cups water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium, cover and simmer 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, halve the remaining leeks lengthwise, then thinly slice and rinse. Put the carrots and half each of the sliced leeks and diced fennel on a foil-lined baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper, coat with cooking spray and toss. Roast until golden, about 25 minutes.
• Meanwhile, melt the butter in a Dutch oven or pot over medium-high heat. Add the remaining leeks and fennel and cook, stirring, until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the potatoes and 2 cups of the prepared broth. Cover and cook until tender, 15 minutes. Add 4 more cups broth and the milk; bring to a boil. Working in batches, transfer to a blender and puree; season with salt and pepper.
• Ladle the soup into bowls; top with the roasted vegetables and chopped herbs. Spread the ricotta on the toasted bread and season with pepper; serve with the soup.

POTATO, FENNEL, AND BACON SOUP

Steps:

• Place potatoes into a large pot and cover with salted water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until barely tender, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, place bacon in a deep skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Drain bacon slices on paper towels and reserve about 2 tablespoons of the drippings in the skillet. Drain potatoes.
• Melt butter in the skillet with the bacon drippings. Add fennel; cook and stir over medium heat until browned, about 12 minutes. Crumble the bacon and add to the pan along with vegetable stock, potatoes, and Chinese five-spice. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and season with salt and pepper.
• Transfer 1 1/2 cups of the soup to a blender. Cover and hold lid down with a potholder; pulse a few times before leaving on to blend. Return to the pot and continue simmering until flavors combine, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Season with five-spice, salt, and pepper.

FENNEL, GARLIC AND POTATO SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat and add the onion, celery, chopped fennel and a generous pinch of salt. Cook gently for about 5 to 8 minutes, until the vegetables have softened and lost some of their volume. Add the potatoes, garlic, bouquet garni and the water or stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, add salt to taste, cover and simmer 45 minutes.
• Remove the bouquet garni. Blend the soup until smooth with an immersion blender, or ladle into a blender, working in 1 1/2-cup batches. Remove the center from the blender cover, place a towel over the cover and pull it down tightly to prevent splashing. Blend and return to the pot. Heat through, add salt and pepper to taste and serve, or chill and serve cold, with your choice of garnishes.

CAULIFLOWER, FENNEL AND POTATO SOUP

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the thyme sprigs, bay leaf, cayenne, 1 cup of the potato, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper and cook, stirring, until the potatoes are well coated, 2 to 3 minutes more. Pour in the broth and 1 1/2 cups water and bring to a simmer.
• Reserve two florets (about 2 inches in diameter) of the cauliflower. Add the fennel and the remaining cauliflower and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes, adjusting the heat as needed to maintain a simmer. Remove from the heat and let cool at least 5 minutes. Remove and discard the thyme and bay leaf and stir in the parsley. Carefully puree until smooth with a handheld immersion blender or in 2 to 3 batches in a blender (do not fill the blender more than halfway full per batch).
• Meanwhile, place the remaining 1/4 cup potatoes in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and heat in the microwave for 4 minutes. Carefully unwrap and set aside to cool.
• Slice the reserved cauliflower florets thinly, about 1/8 inch thick. (You need about 12 pieces.) Heat 1 tablespoon of the remaining oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cauliflower pieces in a single layer and cook until golden brown on the bottom, about 2 minutes. Flip the pieces over and cook until tender and golden brown on the second side, 1 to 2 minutes more. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain.
• Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the same skillet. Add the microwaved potato and season with salt. Cook, stirring, until golden brown all over, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Reheat the soup if necessary. Adjust the consistency and seasoning with water, salt and pepper.
• Serve hot sprinkled with some pan-fried cauliflower and potato and fresh parsley leaves.
• Note: When blending hot liquid, first let it cool for 5 minutes or so, then transfer it to a blender, filling only halfway. Put the lid on, leaving one corner open. Cover the lid with a kitchen towel to catch splatters and pulse until smooth.