Pumpkin Fennel Soup

I mentioned last week that we might be lucky enough to see snow here – and indeed, we were! We went for a short road trip on Sunday to see snow for the first time (except for me – it was my second time). The boys were fascinated with playing in the snow, throwing snow balls at each other and attempting to make a snowman. As for me, after a few minutes of standing in the freezing weather, I retreated back to the car. I found myself quoting Bella Swan…

“Any cold, wet, thing, I don’t really…”

Yeah, snow isn’t really that fun. Just cold. Wet. Annoying, really. I was happy to wait in the car rather than get pummeled by snowballs.

Plus, I felt it was a bit cold for the baby girl; her winter closet does not really include any snow gear!

I had planned to make this soup the morning before we left and pack it in a thermos to drink at our destination or along the way. I even chopped the vegetables the night before so I could just dump them in the saucepan. But when the morning came, it just didn’t happen.

When we got home from our snow adventure, I was thankful I had pre-prepared the vegetables, and we had freshly cooked pumpkin & fennel soup to warm us up. The fennel was just perfect – I was feeling a bit nauseous from my husband’s driving (he’s a great driver, but I prefer to drive at a slower pace…), and fennel is a great remedy to soothe upset stomachs. While I waited for the soup to cook, I made some fennel tea by crushing 1 teaspoon of fennel seeds and steeping in freshly boiled water for 10 minutes. I don’t know why I don’t have fennel tea more often, as the naturally sweet taste is divine!

But back to the soup – of course, it does have a fennel taste – slightly licorice. But it is great to taste different things, you know? I get bored of soups that just taste like vegetable stock all the time. And bland soups. Ugh. But this pumpkin fennel soup is anything but bland! If you are in the mood for your tastebuds to be tantalized, try this soup :)

I have another fennel bulb in my fridge that I need to use – does anyone have any suggestions? I was thinking about adding it to a smoothie but I don’t know if that would be too weird…we’ll see!

5.0 from 2 reviews

Pumpkin Fennel Soup

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

25 mins

Total time

30 mins

 

This warming soup has the unique flavour of fennel to soothe your soul. Vegan, gluten free.

Author: Kyra Howearth

Serves: 4 serves

Ingredients

• 1 onion
• 700g kent pumpkin
• 1 medium sized fennel bulb
• 2 cups water
• 300ml tomato puree/passata
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Peel and dice the onion.
2. Peel, deseed and dice the pumpkin into small cubes (about 2-3cm).
3. Finely chop the fennel (including the stalks), reserving some of the fronds for garnish.
4. Add the vegetables to a large saucepan, heat over a medium heat for a few minutes, stirring frequently.
5. Add the water and tomato, bring to the boil, the cover and simmer for around 20 minutes, or until the pumpkin is soft.
6. Remove from the heat, add pepper to taste, blend if desired.
7. Serve garnished with a fennel frond.

3.3.3077

Comment and tell me:

• Are you a fennel fan?
• What should I do with the fennel in my fridge? Salad? Smoothie? Something else?
• Do you enjoy the snow? As much as I enjoy the novelty, I think I prefer to see it from a distance…