The Year of the Soup

It is interesting to me how people can be so affected by the weather and the change in seasons. This is certainly true for me—the cloudy, cold days of winter often lead to general feelings of malaise and lethargy if I don’t actively try to combat them.  Not surprisingly my food cravings also change with the seasons; in summer I love nothing more than big salads and seafood but winter leaves me wanting hearty comfort foods like pot roast and meatloaf.  And soup. This winter I have been all about the soup, especially pureed soups. Curried squash and carrot soup and sweet potato and chipotle soup have already made multiple appearances so far this winter. I like soups because they are pretty easy and make for hearty, tasty, and pretty healthy meals perfect for a cold winter’s night (or weekend if you happen to have been hit as hard by the snow as we have this year).  They also tend to make a lot which means we’ve got lunches and/or dinners covered for a good portion of the week.

After being snowed in for much of last week, I decided it would be nice to try the roasted fennel and potato soup I found in a cookbook my aunt gave me for Christmas.

The ingredients are things pretty much universally liked in this house: garlic, fennel, potatoes, chicken broth, heavy cream, onion, and leeks.

The recipe is pretty simple—roast chopped fennel and onion while sautéing the leek and garlic. Add the potatoes, roasted fennel and onion mixture, and chicken broth. Simmer for 20 minutes or so. Add in some heavy cream and then….(my favorite part) blend it all up until smooth and velvety.  Voila—soup!

 The verdict?  While the curried squash and carrot soup I mentioned above remains the favorite, this is a nice change of pace. The potatoes give it really good body and the cream adds some added richness which is nice to partake of from time to time. That being said, next time I might cut back on the cream (to make it a bit healthier) and try roasting the garlic for additional sweetness/depth of flavor.

Roasted Fennel and Potato Soup
Adapted from Relaxed Cooking with Curtis Stone

Ingredients:
2 fennel bulbs, trimmed and coarsely chopped
1 small onion, coarsely chopped (I used white but you could probably use a Spanish or yellow onion as well)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 leek (white and pale green parts only), coarsely chopped*
6 cups chicken stock (I recommend using low-sodium)
1 pound russet potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks**
1 cup heavy cream (or less---I used the full cup this time but in the future I might consider reducing the amount as I am not sure that much is necessary)
Salt and pepper to taste
Some fresh chives chopped (for garnish)

Directions:
1.Preheat oven to 350°F. Toss fennel and onions with 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt, and pepper on a heavy baking sheet. Roast in the oven, stirring occasionally, for 25-30 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
2.Heat remaining tablespoon of oil in a large heavy saucepan or dutch oven over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add the leeks and sauté for 5 minutes or until they have softened slightly (did not take the full 5 minutes on my gas range). Add the stock, potatoes, and roasted fennel mixture and bring to a simmer. Continue simmering for about 20 minutes or until the potatoes are very tender. Remove the soup from the heat and let cool slightly.
3.I used an immersion blender to puree the soup right in the pot. However, if you do not have an immersion blender you can puree the soup (in batches) in a blender or food processor until smooth.  If you do this you will need to add the soup back into the pot when you are done (the recipe says to strain the soup into a clean large saucepan---you are welcome to try this but it seemed like a waste of a clean pot to me so I left it all in my original dutch oven.)
4.Add the cream to the soup and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Ladle the soup into bowls, garnish with chives and serve.

*Be sure to clean your leek thoroughly as they tend to be pretty sandy. Here is a trick I learned from Rachel Ray (of all places)—chop up your leeks and then place them in a bowl of cool water for 2-3 minutes. The leeks will float while the sand and grit sinks to the bottom. Scoop out the clean leeks and use!

** Has anyone noticed that grocery stores don’t seem to have as many scales in the produce department anymore? I decided I wanted to make sure I got just a pound of potatoes and walked all over the place before finally finding a small scale hiding in the corner of the produce department.