Serves 1 as a light meal.
- Prep time: 30min
- Cook time: 45min
- Total time: 1h 15min
- Difficulty: Basic
This nourishing, creamy soup will warm you up and awaken your senses. Sweet carrots, fresh fennel, and a hint of ginger and spice make this soup healthy and comforting. Serve with wholesome homemade buckwheat buttermilk biscuits for a special touch.
For the carrot, fennel and ginger soup.
Ingredients:
- 2 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 500g carrots, finely chopped
- 2 large fennel bulbs, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2cm piece of ginger, minced
- sea salt
- freshly ground pepper
- pinch of chilli flakes
- 900-1000ml water or stock
- natural yogurt and fennel fronds to serve
Directions:
Warm two tablespoons olive oil in a large pot. Cook until the fennel seeds release their aroma and you can smell them. Cook until the onions are translucent. Then stir in the carrots, fennel, garlic, and ginger. Season with salt, pepper, and chili flakes and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables begin to sweat. Cover the pot with enough water or stock to cover the vegetables, and cook on high heat until it begins to boil.
Reduce the heat to low and cook for 20-30 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft. Remove from the heat and puree until smooth in a food processor or with an immersion blender. Return the soup to the heat, adjust the seasoning, and thin with water or stock as needed.
Serve hot with a dollop of natural yogurt and fresh fennel fronds. The soup pairs perfectly with buttermilk biscuits or crusty bread.
For the buckwheat biscuits.
Ingredients:
- 100g all-purpose flour
- 55g buckwheat flour
- 20g grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 120ml buttermilk
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Using parchment paper, line a baking sheet. Combine the flour, cheese, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and black pepper in a large mixing bowl (be generous with pepper). Stir in the buttermilk and oil until just moistened.
Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead three times gently. Knead the dough as little as possible, just until it comes together. Roll out the dough to 1 cm thickness and cut with a 4-5 cm floured biscuit cutter.
Place the biscuits 2 cm apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Scrape the remaining dough together, gently press it together, and cut out more biscuits. Repeat until all of the dough has been used. You should be able to get 12 biscuits.
Bake for 15 minutes, or until the biscuits are lightly browned. Serve hot alongside carrot, fennel, and ginger soup.
Commentary.
Abundance. If I had to sum up the Christmas season in one word, that would be it. Excess is the next item on my list. Excessive eating comes to mind first, followed by another convenient phrase – lack of self-control. This, I believe, adequately summarizes the situation. It’s almost become a tradition for me to eat until I’m sick. I think I have a severe case of holiday eating disorder.
This creamy winter soup is the way to go if you’re trying to make up for your holiday overeating or if you just need something to warm you up and wake up your senses.
