The creamy and pureed soup is dairy free, mild in licorice from the fennel and sweet in flavor from the pear. Since I featured GARA this week in my Visit With… blog, I decided to incorporate their fennel hydrosol, to add more fennel depth of flavor, distilled from organic fennel seeds. The fennel hydrosol of course is completely optional. The fennel hazelnut relish was something I concocted recently and I added chili flakes which gives this dish a little kick. It is a really tasty addition to the soup. Nutritionally, fennel bulb is a good source of Vitamin C, the bulb and the fennel seeds both contain manganese which has been shown to assist in enzyme activation, blood sugar regulation, cellular protection, wound healing and bone development. I love to drink a cup of fennel seed tea nightly because I notice it settles my stomach and benefits my digestion. Just put a spoon full of the seeds into a mesh strainer and pour hot water over the seeds and steep for 6-7 minutes. In the meanwhile enjoy this beautiful seasonal soup. Check out fennel’s many health benefits here.

Serves 6-8/ prep time/ 15 minutes/ cook time about 30 minutes/total time 35 minutes

Gather

For the soup

2 tablespoons / 29.57 ml avocado oil

1 leek, white parts only cut into strips

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

2 pears of choice (Bartlett or Anjou will do), peeled, seeded and cubed

2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

4 medium fennel bulbs, trimmed and coarsely chopped, fronds reserved for garnish

5-6 cups / 1.18 -1.42 l vegetable stock (my recipe here)

Salt to taste

Gara Fennel Hydrosol for garnish (optional)

For the Fennel Hazelnut Relish

1/2 tablespoon / 7.4 ml olive oil plus 2 tablespoons/ 29.57 ml

1 bulb fennel, chopped into small pieces about 1/4” pieces

1/2 tablespoon / 7.15 g red chili flakes

1/4 cup / 32 g hazelnuts roughly chopped

1/2 teaspoon/ 2.84 g fennel pollen (optional)

Salt to taste

Make

Soup

Heat the oil in a medium to large pot over medium heat. Add the leeks and onion, 5-6 minutes until onion is translucent and the leeks are soft, stirring periodically and careful not to burn. And the garlic and stir for 1 minute. Add the fennel and pear and then the stock. Bring to a boil then to simmer, uncovered, over a low heat for 25-30 minutes, until the fennel is fork tender.

Working in batches, transfer the soup to a blender and puree until smooth adding the salt and pepper to taste. Return to the pot, if the soup seems too thick add some more broth and stir, reheat on a low flame.

Make 

Fennel Hazelnut Relish

While the soup is cooking prepare your relish garnish. Heat the oil in a small sauté pan over medium/low heat. Add the fennel and cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring frequently. Important not to burn as we are trying to caramelize it. Once the fennel is quite soft and almost “melty” in quality, add and incorporate the chili flakes. Then add the hazelnuts, fennel pollen and salt to taste.

Ladle the soup into individual bowls, give each bowl 2-3 sprays of the Gara Fennel Hydrosol, place a spoon sized dollop of the relish onto the center of each bowl, then garnish with a few fennel fronds and a dash of fennel pollen. Serve and enjoy!

Developed by Anna Getty of Amalgam Kitchen.

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