Creamy Fennel And Leek Soup
- 30 g unsalted butter
- 2 large fennel bulbs, thinly sliced
- 3 leeks, thoroughly washed, 2 thinly sliced, and 1 cut in half lengthways, and then cut into 4cm strips (for garnish)
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 4 cups chicken stock or 4 cups vegetable stock
- 2 rosemary sprigs
- 1/3 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/3 cup sour cream, low fat is fine
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup sour cream, low fat is fine, to garnish
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated, to garnish
- Heat the butter in a large, deep (preferably non-stick) saute pan, over a medium heat, add the sliced fennel (NOT the strips of fennel), sliced leek and finely chopped garlic, and saute, while stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes or until the fennel, leeks and garlic are beginning to soften.
- Remove from the heat, and set aside.
- In a large pot, heat the stock, add the rosemary sprigs, thyme and nutmeg and bring to the boil.
- Simmer over a low heat for about 15 minutes.
- Remove the rosemary sprigs.
- Add the fennel, leek and garlic mixture to the pot, and stir to combine all the ingredients.
- Set the pan in which the fennel, leek and garlic were sauteed aside, for re-use later.
- Allow the soup to cool slightly (10 minutes cooling time should be ample), then blend it in batches in a blender or food processor until smooth.
- As each batch is blended, pour the blended soup into another pot or pan, perhaps the deep pan used earlier to saute the fennel, leeks and garlic.
- Once all of the soup has been blended, stir it to ensure that it is of an even consistency (inevitably some batches were probably thinner than others).
- Stir the sour cream and the 1/4 cup of parmesan into the soup.
- Reheat the soup over a medium heat until it is hot, but do not allow it to come to the boil.
- Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Turn off the heat and leave the soup covered so that it stays warm.
- In a small non-stick pan, heat the oil, and saute the extra leek for 2-3 minutes, or until softened but not browned.
- Ladle the soup into warm soup bowls and top with the sauteed leek.
- Garnish with the extra parmesan and sour cream, and serve immediately with warm crusty rolls.
- Chef's Note: Since posting this recipe, and since last making this soup, I have found and posted a fabulous recipe for vegetable, quite unlike others I have used in the past: Vegetable Stock Recipe #135453.
butter, fennel bulbs, leeks, garlic, chicken stock, rosemary sprigs, thyme, ground nutmeg, sour cream, parmesan cheese, salt, olive oil, sour cream, parmesan cheese
Taken from www.food.com/recipe/creamy-fennel-and-leek-soup-120393 (may not work)