Serves 1 as a light meal.
- Prep time: 30min
- Cook time: 45min
- Total time: 1h 15min
- Difficulty: Basic
This creamy, nourishing soup will warm you up and wake up your senses. Sweet carrots combined with the freshness of fennel and a hint of ginger and spice make this soup both healthy and comforting. For an extra touch, serve it with wholesome homemade buckwheat buttermilk biscuits.
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:
In a large pot, heat two tablespoons of olive oil. Add fennel seeds and cook briefly, just until you can smell the seeds release their aroma. Add onions and cook until translucent. Then add carrots, fennel, garlic and ginger. Season with salt, pepper and chilli flakes and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables have started to sweat. Add just enough water or stock to cover the vegetables, cover the pot and cook on high heat until it starts to boil. Turn the heat to low and let it simmer for 20-30 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft.
Remove from heat and puree in a food processor or with an immersion blender until smooth. Return the pot to heat, adjust the seasoning and thin the soup out with some water or stock, if necessary. Serve hot with a dollop of natural yogurt and a sprinkle of fresh fennel fronds. The soup goes really with buttermilk biscuits or some 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 your oven to 200°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, combine the flours, cheese, baking powder, baking soda, salt and black pepper (be generous with pepper). Stir in buttermilk and oil just until moistened. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead three times. Knead as little as possible, just until the dough comes together. Roll dough to 1 cm thickness and cut with a floured 4-5 cm biscuit cutter. Place the biscuits 2 cm apart onto prepared baking sheet. Scrape the leftover dough, gently press together and cut out more biscuits. Repeat until you’ve used all the dough. You should get 12 biscuits.
Bake the biscuits for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve warm with carrot, fennel and ginger soup.
Commentary.
Category: Appetizers & snacks, Soups & stews, Vegetarian, Quick breads
Abundance. If I had to describe Christmas holidays in one word, that would be it. The next one on my list would probably be excess. The phrase excessive eating comes to mind first, followed by another convenient expression – low self control. I believe this sums it all up quite well. It’s almost becoming my own little tradition – eat till you drop. I think I might have a bad case of holiday eating disorder.
Once the holidays are over (or when there are no more cookies), I instantly snap out of my hungry mood and become painfully aware of the consequences. But not this year. Oh, no. It’s wonderful to be a pregnant woman during the holidays. Everyone (yourself included) expects you to have a huge appetite and get bigger. No one will judge you and no one will know whether it’s baby or holiday fat you’ve put on during the last couple of weeks. You can’t fit in your jeans anyway, so what’s the point in counting calories?
Even in a pregnant woman’s life, the time comes when cookies are no longer objects of desire and happiness. You inevitably start craving something else, something warm and nourishing. A bright colored carrot soup, perhaps, with a hint of ginger to wake you up and make you feel alive. And some buttermilk biscuits to go with it, too. A wholesome, healthier version of biscuits to satisfy your sudden and unexpected healthy eating craving.
Whether you’re trying to make amends for your holiday overeating, or you just need something to warm you up and wake up your senses, this creamy winter soup is the way to go.
