Author Notes
This soup is adapted from a recipe that comes from my mother. It's a great weekend lunch dish -- it's relatively light yet satisfying, and the fennel and mushrooms give it a strong flavor without hours of simmering. Adding the croutons before pouring the soup into bowls is a technique we picked up from eating French Soupe de Poisson and Italian Ribollita -- the bread is softened and gives additional body to the soup. —Savour
Ingredients
- For the Soup
-
1
Fennel Bulb, thinly sliced
-
8 ounces
cremini mushrooms, washed and roughly chopped
-
1/2
onion, finely chopped
-
2 tablespoons
olive oil
-
2
cloves garlic, minced
-
5 cups
chicken stock
- For the Croutons
-
12
thin slices baguette
-
1/3 cup
parmesan cheese, freshly grated
-
1 tablespoon
olive oil
-
Additional parmesan to serve
Directions
-
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
-
Brush Bread slices with olive oil, arrange on cookie sheet, and bake in oven until crisp, about 10 minutes.
-
Sprinkle croutons with parmesan cheese, return to the oven, and bake until cheese is melted.
-
Meanwhile, saute fennel, mushrooms, onion and garlic in olive oil over medium low heat in a soup pot until vegetables are softened but not brown.
-
Add stock to pot, cover, and simmer for 20-25 minutes.
-
Puree soup with a stick blender (or transfer to a food processor to puree).
-
To serve, lay parmesan croutons in a shallow bowl. Pour hot soup over the croutons, and garnish with additional parmesan and fennel fronds.
I'm a Los Angeles based home cook with a full time job and 2 young kids, so my recipes tend to be accessible to busy people. I firmly believe that anyone can cook good, everyday meals from scratch with sufficient tools and encouragement, and I try to create meals that are delicious, wholesome and not too intimidating. Most of my favorite recipes tend to be twists on a classic dish that makes it new and exciting.
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