For many folks, soup is the original comfort food, whether it’s a soothing light stracciatella or a hearty pasta e fagioli.
This full-bodied fennel soup falls somewhere in between. An easy to prepare recipe with only a few ingredients, this soup is so thick and creamy that you’d never guess it has no cream … no dairy at all.
The secret to it’s richness is in the roasting of the vegetables, (fennel and onions) and then placing the cooked soup in a blender, pulsing until the soup is pureed to a velvety creaminess.
Ingredients:
- 4 fennel bulbs, trimmed and cut into 8 wedges
- 3 large onions, peeled, cut into 8 wedges
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 4 fresh rosemary sprigs
- Salt and pepper
- 10 cups chicken broth (low sodium)
With a sharp knife, remove the stem ends of each bulb, trimming away any stems and fronds. Slice each bulb in half, lengthwise (top to stem end of bulb). Cut each half into quarters, remove the cores.
In a large bowl, combine fennel, onions and olive oil.
Season generously with salt and pepper, toss to evenly coat the vegetables.
Transfer to baking sheet, place rosemary sprigs on top. Roast in a 375* oven 40-45 minutes.
Remove from oven, discard the rosemary and transfer the fennel and onions to a large pot.
Add broth, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook 35-40 minutes.
Let soup cool for a bit, transfer to a blender, puree in batches until smooth (do not fill blender all the way or you’ll end up with a mess). If soup is too thick, you can always thin it a touch with water or chicken broth.
At this point you may either refrigerate the soup in a covered container until ready to use or return soup to pot until heated through. Adjust seasonings if necessary. I like to serve this thick and velvety soup with finnochio al forno, ( baked fennel) so we can enjoy this vegetable in not one but two delicious ways.
