Soup with the Simons: Butternut squash & fennel
By Tali Simon | January 25, 2012
First things first: Don’t forget to enter the giveaway for Jamie Geller’s best-selling Quick & Kosher cookbook! The giveaway ends at midnight IST on Thursday, so get your name in there before the clock strikes twelve.
Now on to this butternut squash & fennel soup. Mmmmm.
I was at work one day last week when my phone beeped with a text message. It was my friend Malka, wondering if I’d tried the squash and anise (fennel) soup in one of the cookbooks we both own, Gatherings.
I couldn’t believe there was a fennel soup in that book that I hadn’t tried. I needed to remedy that.
So I sliced a big, fat butternut squash right down the middle and peeled off its skin in pretty squash-skin strips that kind of almost curled.
Did you know you could do that? Use a regular peeler to peel a squash? It’s true!
Anyway, so then I cubed it. And the rest was history.
Because that’s how easy vegetable soups can be: Saute an onion, chop some other veggies, slide them in the pot, and bring some broth to a boil.
Not much left to do at that point other than set the table.
This squash fennel soup was really delicious. I love how the fennel’s licorice flavor complements the sweetness of the squash. But you know me. I’m the ones who {hearts} fennel.
Although there’s a really cool flavor combination here, the overall tone of the soup is mild. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great soup — but if you’re looking for something vibrant, you’re better off with this one.
Oh, and don’t forget to garnish with some fresh parsley. Because it only takes about 17 hours to tear the leaves from the stems, soak them, rinse them, and lay them out to dry.
Not that I did that or anything.
Update 4/12/12: When I made this for Pesach, I left the vegetables whole and found that the soup was even better like that. Guess it’s a good thing I don’t yet have an immersion blender for Pesach! Ingredients Directions 1. Melt butter in a large soup pot over low-medium heat. Saute onion for a few minutes, until soft. 2. Add squash, fennel, water, and soup mix. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. 3. Let cool slightly and puree with an immersion blender to the desired consistency. (I always leave some veggie pieces whole, but do as you like.) Add salt and pepper to taste and serve hot.
Adapted slightly from Gatherings
5 Comments
Malka on January 26, 2012 at 11:56 am.
Well said Tali, well said. But I like this one better than the red pepper version.
PHYLLIS on April 12, 2012 at 6:30 am.
What is “soup mix” listed in the ingred?
It sounds yummy and I plan on making the Butternut and Fennel Soup.
Tali Simon on April 12, 2012 at 10:12 am.
It’s regular soup powder, such as Osem brand — the stuff that makes a soup base when mixed with water. You can use chicken or vegetable flavor.
Blima on February 25, 2013 at 2:09 pm.
I like your blog and this is constructive critique. Soups taste great without soup mix thrown into everything you should try to cook more without it and use more fresh herbs.
Tali Simon on February 25, 2013 at 3:55 pm.
You’re right that soup mix isn’t always necessary, and I generally use less of it than is called for in a recipe I’m adapting. As for fresh herbs, yeah, they’re awesome. Fresh is always better than dried, but it can be hard to find the time to prepare them (even in Israel, where you can buy pre-checked/hydroponic ones).
Your comments are appreciated!