Winter is the season for homemade soup. I have fond memories of growing up eating soup for lunch at the weekends. Minestrone, pumpkin, and pea & ham were the family favourites.
For this soup, I experimented with a new discovery for me: fennel. I had never made soup with it before, and as it was in season, I thought I’d experiment.
This soup balances the aniseed flavour of the fennel with the sweetness of the apple for a light but flavoursome meal. It goes well with garlic bread, and a garnish of sour cream.
I like to make extra portions of soup and freeze them for future weekend lunches. This time around, it came in handy for our first weekend getaway as a new family. With one night away and a little 4 month old in tow, we decided to book accommodation that had a kitchen and self-cater for dinner. And my fennel and apple soup was just the thing! Frozen, it was easy to pack into the car. And super easy to heat up in an unfamiliar kitchen. Yum! Hot, warming, homemade soup. Minimal effort for a cosy holiday dinner.
Fennel and apple soup
Ingredients
- ½ leek, finely sliced
- 20g butter
- 2 fennels, sliced
- 3 apples, diced
- 1-2 tbs plain flour
- 1 litre chicken stock
- Fennel fronds, to serve
- Greek style plain yoghurt, to serve
Directions
- Fry leek in butter in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan on a medium heat until soft.
- Add fennel and apples and fry for 3 mins.
- Add flour, and stir to form a roux with butter on the base of the pan.
- Add chicken stock and 1 litre of water and bring to the boil.
- Simmer soup until vegetables are softened, about 20 minutes.
- Puree soup with a stick blender until smooth.
- Serve topped with fennel fronds and a dollop of yoghurt.
pumpkin and pear 