Soup season has hit hard. Some days you feel so cold it seems like nothing can warm you up. Keeping food intake healthy becomes a little harder as we crave comfort food and cover up any signs of overeating. This fennel soup deals with all those problems. Warm and comforting, nutritious and is totally in line with a healthy weekday attitude. Croutons are optional but totally recommended.
Fennel soup with lemon and cinnamon
Ingredients
- Olive oil
- 2 onions, sliced
- 2 leeks, roughly chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 3 bulbs fennel, sliced
- 2 potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
- 5 litres chicken stock
- 1 stick cinnamon
- ½ lemon, zest only
- ½ tsp mixed spice
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 egg yolks
- 120ml cream
- 2 lemons, juice only
- Salt and pepper
- Fresh parsley, chopped
- Croutons
Method
- Heat the oil in a saucepan and gently fry the onions, garlic, leeks and fennel until soft, taking care not to let them brown.
- Add the potatoes and the chicken stock along with the cinnamon stick, lemon zest, mixed spice, bay leaves, salt and pepper.
- Bring to the boil and then reduce to a simmer.
- Cook for 20 mins.
- Remove the cinnamon stick and bay leaves and discard.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolk with the cream.
- Add a ladleful of hot soup to the egg mixture, whisking all the time.
- Return the soup and mixture to the pan and mix together.
- Heat to just below boiling point, then remove from the heat.
- Stir in the lemon juice, adjust seasoning and mix well.
- Serve with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and some chopped parsley.
- Take croutons to work in a separate container and add after re-heating the soup.
