Fennel & White Bean Soup

This is a delicious, simple soup.

I got the idea from Gwyneth Paltrow's cookbook, My Father's Daughter.

The fennel is the star in this soup, and when you cook it slow and low for half hour with the onions, it becomes a pot of sweetness.

I added fresh rosemary and my homemade chicken stock. I bet if you used dried beans (soaked overnight), this soup would be even better.

You can do the French onion soup look if you like (and I like), by shredding some Gruyere or Parmigiano Reggiano onto rustic slices of bread, then placing the soups under the broiler for a minute, so the cheese melts.

This is yummy stuff.

Fennel & White Bean Soup (adapted from My Father's Daughter):

4 cups of good chicken stock
2 cans cannelinni beans, rinsed
2 onions, sliced
1 large fennel bulb, sliced thin
2 cloves garlic, sliced
olive oil
dash of hot pepper flakes
1 tbsp fresh rosemary leaves

toasts:
slices of rustic bread
Parmesan or Gruyere cheese, shredded

Start by sauteeing the onions, garlic and fennel in olive oil on low heat for about 30 minutes. You don't want them to get brown, just nice and reduced and sweet.

Add in the broth, beans, hot pepper flakes and rosemary and simmer the soup for about 30 minutes.

Serve with or without the broiled cheese toasts.

A bowl of goodness.