Author Notes: This soup is adapted from a recipe that comes from my mother. It’s a great weekend lunch dish — it’s relatively light yet satisfying, and the fennel and mushrooms give it a strong flavor without hours of simmering. Adding the croutons before pouring the soup into bowls is a technique we picked up from eating French Soupe de Poisson and Italian Ribollita — the bread is softened and gives additional body to the soup. —Savour
Serves: 4
Ingredients
For the Soup
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1
Fennel Bulb, thinly sliced
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8
ounces cremini mushrooms, washed and roughly chopped
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1/2
onion, finely chopped
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2
tablespoons olive oil
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2
cloves garlic, minced
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5
cups chicken stock
For the Croutons
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12
thin slices baguette
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1/3
cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated
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1
tablespoon olive oil
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Additional parmesan to serve
Directions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
- Brush Bread slices with olive oil, arrange on cookie sheet, and bake in oven until crisp, about 10 minutes.
- Sprinkle croutons with parmesan cheese, return to the oven, and bake until cheese is melted.
- Meanwhile, saute fennel, mushrooms, onion and garlic in olive oil over medium low heat in a soup pot until vegetables are softened but not brown.
- Add stock to pot, cover, and simmer for 20-25 minutes.
- Puree soup with a stick blender (or transfer to a food processor to puree).
- To serve, lay parmesan croutons in a shallow bowl. Pour hot soup over the croutons, and garnish with additional parmesan and fennel fronds.