We have had a very mild winter here – there is nothing to complain about – in fact, when I look at what has been going on back east, wow, we have really been in a different land. Normally we get a little snow, maybe one storm a year (which shuts the city down), but fortunately this year, it was all sun and rain. So normally about this time I am sick of making soup, and ready for the sun to come out – but that has not been our experience.
I haven’t had a lot of time to cook lately – in fact, there is so much going on right now, I can barely think about the blog. I am almost to the point though where I can see the forest through the trees….just a few more months and I will get a really nice break. Time to recharge and energize…more on that later.
The last couple of days have been damp and cold – ok, maybe not in east coast standards, but compared to what we have been dealing with. Soup was just calling me – and so was this recipe that I found in Bon Appetit. Of course with fennel as the first ingredient, you know it has to be yummy. This was a super simple soup, and oh so delicious. Just the perfect warm-me-up for a cold damp day.
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 large fennel bulb, thinly sliced
- 1 small onion, thinly sliced
- 2 carrots, peeled, chopped
- 1 small Yukon Gold potato, peeled, halved
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
Preparation
Add broth, bring to a boil, and season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat and simmer until potato is falling apart, 8–10 minutes. Let cool slightly. Remove herbs.
Working in batches, purée in a blender until smooth. Strain into a clean pot; season with salt and pepper.
For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here: Fennel and Carrot Soup
First Look, Then Cook 
Yum! I love carrot soups- the addition of fennel seems great as well.
Your soup looks gourmet with that lovely parmesan crisp and those awesome soup bowls. Fennel and carrot together just sings spring.
Soup looks fabulous! And is that a cheese crisp? I love those and always forget to make them. I hope your keeping your head up and taking a few moments to yourself here and there. Can’t wait to hear about your break… :)
Looks awesome! Just wondering — what’s the extra 2 T of butter for? The list says 6 T butter, divided, and the recipe uses 4…so that leaves 2 for something else…
So sorry about that, I think I wrote down the recipe wrong, it should only be 4 tablespoons butter – thanks for pointing that out!