Fennel & Apple Soup

Last year I took a trip to Blue Hill, Dan Barber's all-local restaurant in the West Village. One of my favorite dishes of the meal was an apple and fennel soup. Low and behold, the recipe appeared online a few weeks later. I tried the recipe last December and posted about it on my blog, Two Fat Als. It's a wonderful winter soup, and I highly recommend it!

Ingredients:

3 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 small shallots, minced
3 1/2 cups diced fennel, white part only, reserving green fronds for garnish
1 apple, peeled and diced
salt and ground black pepper
1 tbsp fennel seeds, crushed
4 cups vegetable stock (Mr. Barber’s recipe is online)
1/2 tsp chopped thyme

Instructions:
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large pot. Add the onion and shallots, and sweat until translucent. Add the fennel and apple, season with salt and pepper. Cook for 2-3 minutes before adding the fennel seeds and stock, bring to a boil, and simmer for 30 minutes. Add thyme and season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to a blender and purée, adding the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil. Return to saucepan and heat gently. Garnish with fennel fronds, and serve.