Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Cauliflower and Fennel Soup


I have to admit - I am partial to pretty soups. A bright red pepper soup or a pale orange carrot soup served on a white plate is as pleasing to the eye as it is delicious. Sadly with this soup you will have to work on the presentation, as pretty it is not. But its grey paleness hides masses of flavour and the Pastis gives it  a certain something très Provençal! Ladle the soup into a brightly coloured plate, sprinkle lots of parsley on top - et voilà - one more delicious soup to chase away the cold and winterblues.

 
Peel and chop 2 cloves of garlic and one half of a big white onion. Gently fry in a good slug of olive oil until soft.

 
Chop one fennel bulb (discard the hard core) and add to the pot. Sprinkle one tsp of tarragon leaves and keep on stirring until the vegetables are softening.

 
Add the florets of half a cauliflower, 1/2 liter (2 cups) of vegetable stock and let simmer until the cauliflower is soft. Season to taste with salt and pepper, a good slug of Pastis and some crème fraîche and mix until smooth. Serves 4

 
I'd like to give credit for the inspiration of this soup to Tim Vidra of E.A.T. whose Halloween post made me buy the cauliflower of which I only used half (and very good it was roasted according to Tim's recipe, too!) and to Claudia of A Seasonal Cook in Turkey whose delicious Cauliflower Soup recipe reminded me of this one that I had all but forgotten about. Thank you!

10 comments:

  1. This is my kind of soup~thick ,creamy and full of delicious ingredients!

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  2. Thanks so much looks great and so happy you enjoyed it!

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  3. Oh, I love soup in the winter. I made a potiron soupe with cider creme last night and it was lovely. This one looks great. Not a plain, old cauliflower fan but with the fennel and the pastis (everything's better with alcohol), this looks delicious. It's now on the list for this week. Thank you.

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  4. hahaha...i ran out and bought two large heads of cauliflower for the very same reasons!

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  5. Now, if only I could find some fennel here! Maybe next week if I am feeling better. Thanks for the recipe idea!

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  6. cauliflower and fennel are probably my two favourite vegetables and I love what cauli does in soups, just making them so thick and luscious... this is beautiful... can I send a flask for you to fill?

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  7. Hmm, yummy - love fennel, haven't tried with cawliflower before, but this deserves a try - thank you :)
    Ozlem

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  8. Vegetables that I love and with pastis, does not get any better. Have a good week. Diane

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  9. waiting for your next brilliant ideas + merci for the nice picture

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