Fennel, Leek & Pear Soup

Fennel, Leek & Pear Soup

I did something rather risky. I whipped out my immersion blender and blended up my favorite salad and turned it into soup. Okay, you got me. I didn't really blend up my salad. However, the inspiration for this soup comes from my favorite autumn salad (which is fennel, pear and blue cheese with a dijon dressing) Yep, even down to the mustard. I added a little ground mustard so that I would get the full experience. And guess what? It was totally delicious. I don't know about you all but I am a fennel lover and I don't post nearly enough fennel recipes on here. We had a pretty good fennel crop at Tumbleweed Farm last season and we are already planning on expanding how much we grow of it this year. We actually spent 10 hours on Friday planning out our seeding schedule for the 2014 season. It was exhausting and we may have both gotten a little cranky. And by we I mean me (sorry Taylor!)  But the good news is that schedule has been figured out and our seeds, row covers, and fencing materials have all been ordered. And just like that, we are broke again! Yikes. However, there is light at the end of the tunnel. We begin seeding in the greenhouse next month. I can't believe it's about to start up all over again. Farm season may be just around the corner but a storm is brewing in our neck of the woods. Thank god we have this soup to warm up with. It's simple, slightly sweet, and the blue cheese crostini ties the whole thing together. Please, don't skip the crostini (unless you are vegan) It really was the perfect compliment to the soup. Grab a spoon and dig in!

Fennel, Leek, Pear Soup with Blue Cheese Crostini

Prep Time: 15 mins.
Cook Time: 30 mins.
Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

  • 2 TBS grapeseed oil
  • 2 large leeks, (white and light green parts only) Diced
  • 1 small yellow onion, peeled and diced
  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 medium-sized pear, cored and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
  • 1 large fennel bulb, cored and finely chopped (reserve fonds for garnish)
  • 1 tsp ground mustard
  • 2 tsp dried thyme
  • 1/8 crushed red pepper flakes
  • salt and pepper
  • 5-6 cups vegetable stock
  • A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil for serving.
For the Crostini:
  • 1/2 of a baguette of good quality bread 
  • Blue Cheese
  • Olive oil

Preparation

  1. Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium high heat. Add leeks, onion, dried thyme, and crushed red pepper flakes. Sauté for about 8 minutes stirring often. Once the leeks and onions have become a bit soft add the fennel, garlic, pear and mustard. Sauté for about 5 more minutes.  Add the veggie stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes.
  2. With an immersion blender or regular blender puree the soup.  Season with salt and pepper.
  3. While the soup is simmering slice up your bread. Drizzle a little olive oil over each slice and top with a little crumbled blue cheese. Place in a 425 degree oven for about 5-8 minutes. Or just until bread is toasted and cheese is slightly melted.
  4. Serve soup with bread, diced up fennel fronds, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Notes

Use this recipe as a guide. Adjust measurements and ingredients as necessary.

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