A no-waste Fennel leek soup

I felt like I became a fennel stem.

I promise, you won’t! Not even if you try this recipe for a no-waste Fennel Leek Soup.

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When I just started cooking I relied heavily on recipes. That’s okay, but I wanted more. So I soon found out where to find the best that fitted my taste, or how to adjust them to my taste. [That is: upgrading the amount of veggies, cutting down on meat.] But I still wanted more.
I longed to be that creative cook I am now. A cook that doesn’t do her shopping with a recipe-ingredients-list. A cook that can think of a few possibilities to make with a single ingredient her eyes see. A cook that comes back more inspired from her favorite supermarket where the veggies are piled market wise. A cook that takes a chance when she sees it.

At work a lot of fennel bulbs arrived. Since we hardly use the stems and fronds, we cut them of and throw them away. Usually. This time I took ’em home. A huge box full of fennel stalks. You can see a pic of it on my Instagram, that I started to use the same day. Yesterday I sat down leaning to separate stalks and fronds, while enjoying the Californian sun. Great multi-tasking!
Sipping from my fennel tea. Triple-tasking!
My fingers got green, I felt like I smelt like fennel – although I wasn’t looked weird at the grocery store – and I drank fennel. I checked in the mirror, the rest of me seems to be still normal. Well .. oh, let us not go there..

[How to make home-made fennel tea? Just put a small stalk, leaves on, in a cup of boiling hot water. You can use the same stalk at least twice!]

This fennel leek soup is the first recipe, well besides the fennel tea, that I made with them. I’ll keep the others for an other occasion. The subscribers to my Free Updates-mailing also received the recipe for the fennel pesto I served on a slice of nice bread with it. If you sign up for this mailing – using the subscribe box on the right side|below when you use a mobile device – as well, you’ll receive it in your mailbox as well!

A great way to eat the long stems of your fennel bulbs. Or the fennel itself. Try my #Recipe for Fennel Leek Soup #illustration #edieeats #fennel #leek #soup #vegetarian

Fennel leek soup [vegetarian]

I made up this recipe for the fennel stems, but of course you can use normal fennel bulbs. It’s a light, not so dense soup that is great as a starter. Thicken the soup by lessening the amount of stock for a meal for one.

You need for 2:
1/4 onion
a finger long piece of leek, white part only if possible (approx. 75 gr)
1-2 tablespoon of olive oil
10 fennel stalks (approx. 100 gr)
2 cups | 450 ml vegetable stock [chicken stock is okay if you’re not a vege(taria)n]
cream
salt + pepper

You do:
Start with the base. Peel and cut the onion and leek in small parts. Heat the olive oil in a small pan and bake on low fire the onion and leek. Try not to color them.

Add the fennel. Cut or tear of all fronds and cut the stalks in very small pieces. Add them to the onion mixture and stir. Let bake for a few minutes while you clean up your counter. [Or separate the fronds for garnish or a pesto.]

Add stock. And let the veggies boil until tender. Testing is knowing. Pour out half of the stock and set it aside. Now puree the soup in your blender or with an immersion blender. Thin down the soup with the rest of the stock to your taste.

Make it tasty. Pour the soup back in the pan. Bring it to a boil, lower the heat immediately and add cream, salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with some fennel fronds.

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