Carrot and Fennel Soup with Olives

Soup making is so relaxing on a winter afternoon. I've just made carrot and fennel soup which I adapted from my new Le Pain Quotidien Cookbook; an early Christmas gift. I made several significant changes to the recipe in the book, using vegetable broth instead of water, fresh fennel instead of fennel seed, and fennel fronds instead of dill. It was delicious - can't wait to try another of the simple and beautiful recipes from this book. Happy soup making!


Serves 4 

Ingredients 

1 lb carrots, pealed and sliced thinly
1 Fennel bulb, sliced thinly 
Fennel fronds
2 tbs. olive oil 
4 cups vegetable broth 
1 slice stale sour dough bread, torn
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper
10 pitted green olives

Method

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add carrot, fennel and bay leaf and season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook stirring occasionally until vegetables are soft, approximately 30 minutes. Add broth and sour dough bread and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cover pot, reduce heat to low and simmer for approximately 10 minutes. Remove from heat and remove bay leaf. Blend soup using a hand blender or transfer to a food processor and blend until smooth. Sprinkle with olives and fresh fennel fronds.