I don't mind the cold. Bring on the coldest, wintry day and I'm just fine--as long as the sun is shining. But today is one of those chill (45 degrees F), wet, autumn days and I'm cold! When this happens, it's time to bring on the soup.
Today, I foraged through the bountiful contents of my fridge and pulled out carrots (just dug from our garden yesterday evening) and celery (alas, from the store), grabbed a few homegrown onions and cloves of garlic and began to chop. It was beginning to look like a standard minestrone, but I really wasn't in the mood. As the veggies began their saute, I threw in a handful of fennel seed and thought "the fennel!". There was one more bulb of fennel in the backyard garden and I went for it. Thinly sliced and added to the saute, I gathered the missing ingredients: chicken stock, diced potatoes, pre-cooked "Tongues-of-Fire" beans, and pre-cooked whole grain kamut.
The result? A golden-hued soup with hopeful bits of spring green from the fennel, a delicious nutty, chewy texture from the kamut, and the utter satisfaction of fresh-dug potatoes. This soup is a keeper.
Kamut and Fennel Soup
serves 6-8
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium carrots, washed or peeled, sliced
2 stalks celery, sliced
2 TB olive oil
1 TB fennel seed
1 tsp dried basil
4 c chicken stock
2 cups water
1 tsp sea salt, or to taste
black, or white pepper, to taste
2 medium potatoes, washed or peeled, diced
3/4 cup cooked beans ("Tongues-of-Fire" are great in this, but any white bean will work)
3/4 cup cooked, whole grain kamut (rice makes a good substitute)
Saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil over med-high heat. Add carrots, celery, fennel, fennel seed, and basil. Turn heat to med-low and cover. Allow vegetables to steam for several minutes, until tender. Pour in chicken stock and 2 cups water and bring to a boil over med-high heat. Add potatoes and simmer about 15 minutes, or until tender. Add beans and kamut, simmer 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Today, I foraged through the bountiful contents of my fridge and pulled out carrots (just dug from our garden yesterday evening) and celery (alas, from the store), grabbed a few homegrown onions and cloves of garlic and began to chop. It was beginning to look like a standard minestrone, but I really wasn't in the mood. As the veggies began their saute, I threw in a handful of fennel seed and thought "the fennel!". There was one more bulb of fennel in the backyard garden and I went for it. Thinly sliced and added to the saute, I gathered the missing ingredients: chicken stock, diced potatoes, pre-cooked "Tongues-of-Fire" beans, and pre-cooked whole grain kamut.
The result? A golden-hued soup with hopeful bits of spring green from the fennel, a delicious nutty, chewy texture from the kamut, and the utter satisfaction of fresh-dug potatoes. This soup is a keeper.
Kamut and Fennel Soup
serves 6-8
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium carrots, washed or peeled, sliced
2 stalks celery, sliced
2 TB olive oil
1 TB fennel seed
1 tsp dried basil
4 c chicken stock
2 cups water
1 tsp sea salt, or to taste
black, or white pepper, to taste
2 medium potatoes, washed or peeled, diced
3/4 cup cooked beans ("Tongues-of-Fire" are great in this, but any white bean will work)
3/4 cup cooked, whole grain kamut (rice makes a good substitute)
Saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil over med-high heat. Add carrots, celery, fennel, fennel seed, and basil. Turn heat to med-low and cover. Allow vegetables to steam for several minutes, until tender. Pour in chicken stock and 2 cups water and bring to a boil over med-high heat. Add potatoes and simmer about 15 minutes, or until tender. Add beans and kamut, simmer 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
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