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I was always scared of this soup. Scratch that, terrified. Nothing scares me more than new veggies, and although tomatoes are a good time, fennel was never on my “must try list”. Last week I decided to go for it. Venture out into the unknown. Plus, I was lazy and didn’t want to cook anything for dinner (thanks Mommy for stocking the fridge).
Magic. This soup is magic.
I whipped up a batch this weekend, and will be having a piping hot bowl for dinner this evening.
This got me thinking, what other veggie meals will I like? I mean, pure vegetables, no meat, no sauce that makes me think it’s meat, just veggies. With Earth Day approaching, and Meatless Monday’s all the rage – I am thinking of signing up. One day of the week, I must love veggies. If you know me, you know how hard this will be. But I am up for the challenge.
Below is my most favourite new soup, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
Tomato Fennel Magic Soup:
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 2/3 onion , chopped
- 2 stalks celery , chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic , minced
- 1 fennel bulb , chopped
- 2 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes , undrained
- 2 cups chicken broth (have some reserved if you need it)
- 2 Basil leaves
- Fine herbs to taste
- Mrs. Dash Garlic & Herb
- A pinch of Salt (and I do mean a tiny pinch) and freshly ground black pepper to taste
In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add the onion, celery, garlic and fennel. Cook until the vegetables are tender, approximately 4 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, chicken broth, basil leaves and herbs (Mrs. Dash, Salt and Pepper, fine herbs), and simmer on low for 20 minutes. Add extra chicken broth if the consistency is too thick.
Like so:
Remove from the heat. Puree the soup with an emersion blender or cool slightly and puree in a standard blender. I use my magic bullet!
I serve hot with chopped parsley.
(I should probably take more care in presentation like on the Food Network).
Enjoy my lovelies!