I was in the produce department of the grocery store with Little Bear, who was understandably running out of shopping cart patience. My intention was to grab a head (bulb?) of leeks for a potato leek soup, but because I was rushing, I instead grabbed a head (again, bulb?) of fennel. As soon as I pulled the "leeks" out of the fridge for dinner, I realized the mistake. Dang it. Now what?
I was still in the mood for soup, but the closest I've come to cooking with fennel before is using dried fennel seeds in pumpernickel bread. Husband says soups are my biggest talent in the kitchen, so I figured I'd throw some stuff in a pot and hope for the best (while carefully measuring and taking notes just in case it actually turned out good, of course)!
Yu-um-o! This recipe will definitely be making the rounds at Casa de Olson.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (unrefined)
- 5 slices (or more, why not!) uncured bacon (no nitrates, nitrites or preservatives)
- 1 fennel bulb
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 5 cloves of garlic (chopped, grated or crushed)
- 12 ounces beer - an amber would probably be best, but anything you have on hand will work
- 6 cups stock (chicken or vegetable)
- 4 cups water
- 3 cups dried white navy beans, washed
- 4 cups fresh baby spinach (optional)
- 1 teaspoon salt (or more, to taste)
- 2 teaspoons granulated garlic
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
1. Wash and thinly slice the white part of the fennel bulb. You can include some of the green stem, as long as it's not stringy.
2. Place oil in the bottom of a heavy pot (cast iron dutch oven is best) over medium heat. Add bacon and cook until slighly browned.
3. Add fennel, onion, and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until fennel is slightly soft and slightly browned.
4. Add beer and scrape the bottom of the pot clean (deglazing the pan).
5. Add remaining ingredients.
6. Bring to a simmer. Reduce heat so that a slow simmer is maintained.
7. Cook for about 4 hours, or until beans are very tender.
This recipe freezes well & can easily be doubled and saved for a later meal!
Any thoughts/suggeations on if this could be adapted to a crockpot?
ReplyDeleteI love crockpot soups! I would brown the bacon, fennel and onions and then dump it all in a crockpot on high until the beans are done. Beans are finicky in a crockpot, so I'm not sure how long it'll take them to cook all the way, but I'm guessing 6-8 hours.
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