Lonny'S Oyster Stew

• 1/4 pound pancetta or bacon
• 2 leeks (3/4 in. thick), white parts only
• 2 heads (3 in. wide) fennel
• 1 teaspoon crushed fennel seed
• 6 cups half-and-half (light cream) or 2% milk
• 3 jars (10 oz. each) shucked oysters and their liquor (4 cups total)
• 3/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
• 1 tablespoon Pernod, Sambuca, or other anise-flavor liqueur (not sweet)
• Fresh-ground black pepper
• Salt
• 1 to 2 tablespoons butter or margarine

1. Cut pancetta into 1/4-inch dice. Put in a 5- to 6-quart pan.
2. Trim and discard root ends from leeks, then rinse well and chop.
3. Trim and discard tops, root ends, and bruised spots from fennel, then rinse and chop.
4. Add leeks, fennel, and fennel seed to pancetta and stir often over medium-high heat until limp but not browned, about 5 minutes.
5. Add cream and oysters and their liquor and turn heat to medium-high. Stir often just until soup is hot but not boiling, about 4 minutes.
6. Stir in 1/2 cup parsley, liqueur, and pepper and salt to taste.
7. Ladle into bowls and sprinkle equally with remaining parsley, then add a dot of butter to each.

pancetta, leeks, fennel, fennel seed, light cream, oysters, italian parsley, liqueur, freshground black pepper, salt, butter

Taken from www.myrecipes.com/recipe/lonnys-oyster-stew (may not work)