The inspiration comes from a vegetable soup my grand mother used to make. She used to cut all the vegetables in super small pieces and I always enjoyed the aesthetic of her presentation. You could probably chop everything finely by hand but, if you’re in the lazy club (like me), a hand blender or a food processor work wonders.
This recipe isn’t the soup she used to make but, I would like to think it is as good or at least pretty close.
Delicate, slightly sweet and made with our homemade vegetable broth. The fennel leaves used as garnish but also as a component in the soup really shine with the star anise in the broth. The ginger giving it a nice kick and the lemongrass as the last taste hitting your palate. When it comes time to buy fennel, I always try to get the complete plant with the long rods and a lot of bright green leaves. Back home, I’ll cut it up in “parts” and keep the leaves in a separate container to use them like any other fresh herbs. Next time, I’ll probably add a little extra lemongrass because the taste could have been more pungent and, I would encourage you to do the same if you’re a big fan of lemongrass.
Makes three big portions or four smaller ones. Bon appétit!
- 1 cup of very finely chopped celery
- 1 cup of very finely chopped carrots
- ½ cup of very finely chopped green cabbage
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 2 cups of vegetable broth
- 2 cup of water
- 1 tightly packed teaspoon of finely grated ginger
- ¼ teaspoon of finely grated lemongrass
- 1 tightly packed tablespoon of chopped fennel hair
- Pinch of salt to taste.
- - Stove top, medium pan, medium/high heat. Heat the olive oil and add all your veggies.
- - Cook for a few minutes until they are a little softer.
- - Put the rest of the ingredients and let simmer, covered, on low heat for 2 hours.
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