Pureed Fennel Soup with Fennel-Apple Relish Crouton, Fennel-Chive Oil and Fennel Pollen

Pureed Fennel Soup with Fennel-Apple Relish Crouton, Fennel-Chive Oil and Fennel Pollen

I created this recipe as an entry for Decembers Beet n' Squash You "Battle Fennel" that takes place over on the Bouchon For 2 blog. Unfortunately, I didn't pull it together in time to submit it. I do believe this turned out awesome enough to be a true contender but I will now have to get the creative juices for January's "Battle Napa Cabbage". Click on the link to check out how you can participate if you wish.

Fennel has gradually become one of my most favorite vegetables to cook with. Its mild anise-like flavor adds such a nice backdrop for so many other ingredients. In fact this apple-fennel combo I easily concocted will show up on top of another, completely different, soup that I have yet to blog. Coming soon. This battle was a fun challenge because it forced me to think about it as a main ingredient and not just in a supporting role amongst a cast of many. I utilized the bulb for the soup and the relish; the fronds in the oil and fennel pollen as a wonderful garnish. If you don't have fennel pollen you can, without any major drop off in flavor, use toasted and ground fennel seeds. Either way that addition really brought the whole fennel concept sharply into focus. Enjoy!

Recipe: Pureed Fennel Soup with Fennel-Apple Relish Crouton, Fennel-Chive Oil and Fennel Pollen 
By Danielle

Ingredients
Soup:
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup red onion, diced
6 green onions, sliced
4 cups fennel, thinly sliced
salt and pepper
2 medium potatoes, diced
4 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
3 tablespoons heavy cream

Directions
In a small skillet toast fennel seeds. Cool slightly, grind in a spice grinder and set aside.
Heat butter and olive oil in a soup pot. Add red and green onions as well as the fennel. Saute until softened without browning. Add potatoes, stock, fennel seeds and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are soft. Puree. Return to pot and add cream. Stir to combine.


Fennel-Apple Relish
Ingredients
1 fennel bulb, diced
2 apples, peeled, cored and diced
2 tablespoons butter
juice of half a lemon
salt and pepper

Directions
Heat a saute pan over medium heat. Melt butter. Add fennel and apples and saute until softened. Finish with a squeeze of lemon and salt and pepper to taste


Fennel-Chive Oil
Ingredients
1/2 cup fennel fronds
1 bunch of chives
vegetable oil

Directions
Put fennel fronds and chives into a blender. Slowly add oil adding just enough for the ingredients to puree. Season with salt and pepper.

To Serve:
Ladle soup into bowls, top with toasted french bread slice, relish and then drizzle with the oil. Sprinkle with reserved toasted fennel seed or fennel pollen.