
you could take 2 vegetables, cook them, blend them and you'd have a very, very satisfying soup--especially if one of them is an onion, leek or shallot. potato and leek soup is popular, french onion soup doesn't call for much more than its star ingredient, and this simple onion and fennel soup is delightful, if i do say so myself!
roasted in the oven, the onions and fennel become sweeter but don't caramelize, which, once blended, leaves you with this silky, white soup. if you're asking yourself if caramelizing might produce a more flavourful soup, i asked myself the same thing!
no wonder we're friends.


how to know, except to try? so i cooked them over the stove as a test and made a delicious, if less visually pleasing, soup. the golden vegetables were tasty but the sweetness actually overpowered the flavour of the vegetables themselves. in comparison, there was hardly any fennel flavour to be found. roasting the vegetables kept the integrity of the flavours in tact, and it also produced a thicker soup since the vegetables held their texture better in the oven too.

i actually made this soup with a pistou in mind. pistou, a french paste similar to pesto but without cheese or nuts, is usually served on top of a thin vegetable soup. and as far as tradition goes, i've broken many rules here, starting with serving it on a pureed soup, one that doesn't include soley summer vegetables, not pounding a tomato into the pistou, and adding lemon instead. mon dieu! but the effect is the same. the zing of fresh herbs (and, in this case, lemon) takes this soup to new heights, and separates it from stews and soups simmering on the stove with a bundle of herbs for an hour. it's not time for those (winter soups) in my kitchen, yet. this transitional soup is perfect for days when there as many leaves on the trees as on the ground.

roasted onion and fennel soup with pistou
1 medium onion, peeled, halved lengthwise, then sliced thickly crosswise (about 3 packed cups)
1 fennel bulb (fronds reserved for pistou), peeled where needed, trimmed, halved lengthwise, then sliced thickly crosswise (about 3 packed cups)
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil, separated
1/2 tsp salt, plus 1/2 tsp
1/4 tsp pepper
for the pistou:
1 clove garlic, minced (about 1 tbs)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 c fresh parsley leaves, finely chopped
2 tbs fresh fennel fronds, finely chopped
2 tbs fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 tbs lemon juice
preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
line a 4-sided baking sheet with parchment paper (foil works too but the vegetables may brown more affecting the colour of this soup slightly). toss the onion and fennel in the oil, 1/2 tsp of salt and the pepper and spread evenly on the baking sheet. roast in oven for 20-25 minutes, checking toward the end that the vegetables are cooked but are not browning much.
meanwhile, in a mortor, add the garlic and salt and pound until the garlic is a paste. add the chopped herbs, oil and lemon juice, and pound to a paste.
add 4 cups of water to a medium pot over medium-high heat. add the roasted vegetables, 1/2 tsp of salt and bring to a boil. remove from heat. puree with an immersion blender until smooth. taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.;the soup should be subtle since the pistou will add flavour, but it should not be bland.
ladle soup into serving bowls, top with a heaping tsp of pistou and serve.
serves 4.