White Bean Soup With Thyme

• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1 large shallot, sliced
• 1/4 fennel bulb, slivered
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 small bunch of fresh thyme, tied in a bundle with kitchen string
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 3 cups white beans, cooked
• 1/4 cup fennel bulb, diced
• 1-2 rinds of parmesan reggiano
• 1 tablespoon heavy cream (optional)
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

1. heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a Dutch oven; add onion, shallot, slivered fennel, salt and pepper, and cook until soft; add garlic, and bundle of thyme, and cook, stirring constantly, until very fragrant (about 1-2 minutes)
2. add chicken stock, beans, diced fennel, and parmesan wedges; simmer for about 30 minutes to blend flavors, stirring occasionally to lace the melting parmesan threads through the soup.
3. turn off heat; remove bundle of thyme, and give it a good shake over the soup to release any loose leaves, then discard; remove parmesan rinds, and set aside.
4. using an immersion blender, pulse the soup until about 1/2 of the beans are just barely pureed (be careful not to overblend, or your soup may become pasty)
5. stir in cream, and return parmesan wedges to soup; ladle into bowls, and top with ground pepper and fresh thyme leaves

olive oil, yellow onion, shallot, fennel bulb, garlic, thyme, chicken stock, white beans, fennel bulb, parmesan reggiano, heavy cream, thyme, salt

Taken from food52.com/recipes/2836-white-bean-soup-with-thyme (may not work)