My Favourite Soups
Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare), popularly known as Florence fennel, finocchio, or sweet fennel is a highly aromatic and flavourful, bulbous vegetable. Raw fennel has a crisp texture and is often used in salads and slaws although it should be thinly sliced, using a mandolin. Fennel bulb, can be boiled, steamed, braised or roasted depending on the recipe being prepared. It’s mostly used in Italian and French cuisine. The tender leaves, also known as fronds, are often used for garnishes, and to add flavour to salads, soups and seafood and can also be finely chopped and added to sauces, served with puddings.
Roasted tomato and fennel make a great combination for soup. The soup is easy to make. The veggies are roasted, chopped in smaller pieces and blended with hot stock (broth). I always love adding some double cream just before serving and a nice kick of pepper. The soup is flavourful with a great aroma. I hope you’ll love it. I wish you a fantastic week ahead!
- Ingredients
- 1 large onion, quartered
- 1 fennel bulb, sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, unpeeled
- 1 large red bell pepper (capsicum), seeded and quartered
- 500g (1Ib) 4 medium Italian tomatoes quartered
- A few sprigs of thyme
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- 500-1000ml (2-4 cups) vegetable broth (stock)
- 90g (3oz) small pasta shapes
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.
- 120ml (½ cup) whipping cream (35%, double cream)
- Shaved parmesan or chopped herbs to garnish
Please always remember to assemble all ingredients before you start
Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Brush a roasting pan with olive oil. Place the onion, fennel, garlic, pepper, tomatoes and thyme sprigs in a roasting pan. Drizzle the oil over the vegetables and mix well, then arrange the vegetables in a single layer, skin side up.
Roast for about 25 minutes then flip over and roast a further 5 minutes, until slightly charred. Meanwhile bring the stock to a boil.
Chop the roasted vegetables into smaller pieces, squeeze the garlic flesh out of the skins, discard the woody stems of thyme, mix with 2 cups hot stock and blend until smooth. Press the mixture through a large sieve into a pot, if too thick add more stock to your desired consistency (you’ll need about 3-4 cups for a nice thick soup). Meanwhile boil pasta in plenty of salted water as per packet instructions until al dente. Drain.
Heat soup until piping hot, add pasta and cream, adjust seasoning and serve hot.
The soup was great
Roasted Tomato Fennel and Pasta Soup
Preparation time: 15 minutes; Cooking time: 40 minutes; Makes: 4 x 250ml cups
Ingredients
- 1 large onion, quartered
- 1 fennel bulb, sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, unpeeled
- 1 large red bell pepper (capsicum), seeded and quartered
- 500g (1Ib) 4 medium Italian tomatoes quartered
- A few sprigs of thyme
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- 500-1000ml (2-4 cups) vegetable broth (stock)
- ¼ cup double cream (35%, whipping cream)
- 90g (3oz) small pasta shapes
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.
- 120ml (½ cup) whipping cream (35%, double cream)
- Shaved parmesan or chopped herbs to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Brush a roasting pan with olive oil. Place the onion, fennel, garlic, pepper, tomatoes and thyme sprigs in a roasting pan. Drizzle the oil over the vegetables and mix well, then arrange the vegetables in a single layer, skin side up. Roast for about 25 minutes then flip over and roast a further 5 minutes, until slightly charred. Meanwhile bring the stock to a boil.
- Chop the roasted vegetables into smaller pieces, squeeze the garlic flesh out of the skins, discard the woody stems of thyme, mix with 2 cups hot stock and blend until smooth. Press the mixture through a large sieve into a pot, if too thick add more stock to your desired consistency (you’ll need about 3-4 cups for a nice thick soup), also taking into account the ½ cup cream.
- Meanwhile boil pasta in plenty of salted water as per packet instructions until al dente. Drain.
- Heat soup until piping hot, add pasta and cream, adjust seasoning and serve hot.
myfavouritepastime.com
My Favourite Pastime 
You had me at “double cream”. 🙂 This sounds full of flavour.
I have to use every noun that favours everybody in their corner of the world (double cream, whipping cream, 35% cream, thick cream) LOL. what a life!!!
Liz
🙂
Tis the season for a yummy bowl of soup … comfort food at it’s best! LOVE the photography too Lizzy !! 🙂
Staying hungry on this end … CHEERS !!
Oh CRAP !!! Of course I mean SOUP, NOT SOAP !!! *sigh* … 🙂
No problem, I’ll correct it, I love soup, by all means! Happy Turkey eating!
Liz
And you !! 🙂 🙂
Thanks!
Liz
Oh yes it’s freezing cold right now. Feeling good after a hot bowl of roasted butternut squash soup. Have a great weekend!
Liz
🙂
Now that’s what I call a healthy treat!
Quite so and with a lovely aroma too!
Liz
It is soup season again! Great idea to roast the vegetables-I like to do that with my homemade spaghetti sauce.
We’ve had a lengthy soup season and it still continues. I adore soup!
Liz
Well, I give that soup 5 stars and 2 thumbs up! It’s deelicious!
Thank you, Yvonne. It was a great soup!
Liz
MMMMM, I can just taste the soup now! I’m a sucker for anything with a little bit of pasta in it. Thanks for a good reminder about roasting the veggies – Kat
Don’t we all love pasta here. Tomorrow I shall be roasting more veggies! I can’t wait!
Liz
I never thought I would say this of a soup, but this one actually looks cute 🙂 Love the little shells floating in it!
Thanks. It was very filling.
Liz
Roasted veggies are wonderful. This looks fantastic!
Thank you!
Liz
Your soup looks so delicious Liz. I love the flavor roasting vegetables brings to soups. I’ getting ready to try a butternut squash soup this week. I’m going to roast the vegetables too. Beautiful post thanks:)
Hi Joann
Thank for visiting me. What a lovely surprise. Roast vegetables are always such a pleasure to eat. I wish you the best of luck with the butternut squash soup. Have a fabulous week!
Liz
I can just imagine the flavour you get from roasting all the vegetables, looks wonderful!
Great flavour…have a great week
Liz
That does sound tasty. Thank you!
Thank you!
Liz
I should get into the habit of roasting veggies. They always look so lovely when you do it! ;->
Virtual hugs,
Judie
And taste good too, smoky and delicious!
Virtual Hugs,
Liz
A really beautiful soup 😊
Thank you, Cathy! Have a lovely week!
Liz
I will Liz . The weather has gone back to winter the last couple of days here in Albany, Australia and this soup will hit the spot. This also looks similar to a base for a yummy fish stew if you add a few prawns, clams and mussels and some firm fleshed fishy bits 😃.
Mmm that sounds delightful. “We are in Autumn” but we are hitting temperatures of 4C, so I wonder what winter will be like here. Good luck with the soup and do give me a feedback! My best regards to your best half!!!
Liz
You too Liz 😃
Thank you!
Liz