Yeah, yeah…. “FUN-nel.” I’m just bein’ silly. I’ve had fennel on the brain lately and I’m not sure why. It’s been so rainy here in NYC the last couple days that’s it has put me in the mood for soup. Cream of Tomato was always my favorite as a kid. These days I try not to do very much dairy as it creeps into my baking.
I wanted a hearty soup due to the weather and nothing was sounding good until I thought of tomato soup. It was always a comfort soup for me (rather than chicken soup). Whenever I was sick, tomato soup was what I asked for. I added the fennel for an extra burst of flavor and made this recipe totally vegan.
Tomato Fennel Soup
Tomato Fennel Soup
8 servings
2 cans (28oz each) of whole, plum tomatoes w/ juice
2 bulbs of fennel, chopped
4 – 5 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
2 – 3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups veggie stock
½ teaspoon dried thyme (tab fresh)
½ teaspoon dried oregano (tab fresh)
½ teaspoon dried marjoram (tab fresh)
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
In a large, heavy bottom pot, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add fennel, onion and garlic and sauté approx. 10 minutes, or until fennel begins to soften. Season with 2 -3 large pinches of kosher salt and pepper.
Stir in canned tomatoes, and stock and bring to a low boil. Add herbs. Reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer for 30 – 45 minutes.
Turn off heat. Using a stick blender, puree the soup until smooth. If using a blender, cool the soup before blending in batches.
Serve with a crusty bread or garlic croutons.
