Sunday, April 25, 2010

Creamy Green Garlic and Fennel Soup


Ever since I received my Hamilton Beach 2-speed Hand Blender from CSN Stores, I have been dying to make soup. But with the weather in California heating up, I knew whatever I decided on would have to be on the lighter side. So when my latest produce delivery included green garlic and fennel bulbs, I KNEW what I wanted to try.

Green garlic season is now, so if you want to try this recipe, take advantage of the season before it is gone! Green garlic is harvested before the garlic cloves have begun to develop. The resulting plant looks almost like a scallion. It is milder in garlic flavor and when it is cooked, it sweetens and gets a unique complex flavor which needs minimal seasoning. Which is why it was perfect for this soup!

I have previously written about fennel when creating a simple salad last year. I used two fennel bulbs that are smaller in size but you can probably get away with one larger bulb. I only used the white of the bulb, and a bit of the fern for garnish.

The soup stays light, but creamy, through the use of unsweetened vanilla almond milk (I use Blue Diamond Almond Breeze) and the blending of the vegetables to create the thicker soup. I used my new Hamilton 2-speed hand blender which allowed me to blend the soup in the stockpot. It was quick and easy to use and clean which was a nice change from having to pour soups into my blender in batches. Letting the soup sit allows a natural thickening to occur and it reheated well for later meals.

Green Garlic and Fennel Soup
Serves 4

4 Green Garlic stalks, diced (include light green as well as white part of the stalk)
2 small fennel bulbs, slices
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1 cup water
sea salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a stock pot and add garlic and fennel. Toss garlic and fennel in oil for about a minute before reducing the heat. Sprinkle salt and pepper and cover, letting the garlic and fennel sweat in the covered pot. When the garlic and fennel have begun to caramelize, add almond milk and water. Stir and cover. Let simmer for twenty minutes or so, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and using an immersion or hand blender, blend the ingredients together. The soup should be slightly chunky unless you want a smoother soup. Let sit for five minutes before serving, or store and reheat later.

Nutritional Information (per serving): 63 calories, 5 grams of fat, 1.75 grams of fiber, 1 gram of protein

Green Garlic

20 comments:

Julie @ Pickley Pear said...

Great looking soup, I have never bought fennel. Today would be a great day for it - it's cold and rainy.

hsullivan66 said...

is green garlic different from garlic scapes? those come in season around here in june/july (but it's much colder here!)

Christo Gonzales said...

deep freeze - box up and mail it to me!

Anonymous said...

Is green garlic the same as garlic scapes?? Those were in my CSA box last year, and I had no idea what to do with them!

C.G. the Foodie said...

blackdove5 and biz319:

Good question! I don't think I have ever used Garlic Scapes, so I needed to look it up.

According to All About Green Garlic and Garlic Scapes: "Garlic scapes are the curled flower stalks of hardnecked garlic varieties grown in colder climates. They are cut off by growers to encourage better bulb growth and available through early summer in colder growing regions. Crunchy, with a mild garlic flavor, garlic scapes are great in salads and stir-frys." (http://localfoods.about.com/od/greengarlicgarlicscape/a/aboutgrgarlics.htm)

This would mean they were available later in the season and are the tops of the garlic stem. The Green Garlic is the immature bulb of the garlic before the bulb forms into the cloves we are familiar with.

Laura said...

Oh this looks so good! Thanks for linking up with Just Another Meatless Monday!

hsullivan66 said...

Thanks Carol!

Biz319 - I made pesto with my garlic scapes, it is potent though (but I love garlic). http://blog.washingtonpost.com/mighty-appetite/2006/06/my_friend_the_garlic_scape_1.html. I mixed the pesto in with pasta & veggies

Mo Diva said...

im freezing at my desk right now... a hot bowl of this soup sounds perfect. I love fennel and i love the presentation on it.

Anonymous said...

This soup sounds amazing with green garlic!

Mary Bergfeld said...

Our green markets have begun to sell what they call "garlic whistles" which I believe are what you call green garlic. That means I can make and enjoy your lovely soup. I hope you are having a wonderful day. Blessings...Mary

Christina said...

I've never cooked with green garlic before! What a great way to showcase the flavors!

Carolyn Jung said...

I can smell the lovely fragrance of this soup from here. I have been buying up spring garlic whenever I spot it at my farmers market. I just love the pungent aroma.

Peace Love Nutrition said...

You can't beat a good soup. Looks delicious! I'll have to try it : )

Gera@SweetsFoodsBlog said...

For a cold day like today this creamy and garlicky soup is ideal!

Have a great week,

Gera

Juliana said...

Wow, this soup must be so tasty...love the idea of using green garlic combined with fennel and the almond milk...yummie!

The Duo Dishes said...

Mmm, fennel. It's so good just to eat it roasted with a little salt. Love how you've paired it with garlic too.

MaryMoh said...

Mmm...looks delicious. A friend introduced me to fennel soup and I fell in love with it immediately.

Aubree Cherie said...

This is such a great recipe! I was happy to stumble upon it, I'm never quite sure what to do with garlic greens. Also, I'm dairy free so this soup is perfect for me!

~Aubree Cherie

sophia said...

Oh wow, what a GREAT soup! I can eat this any day, rain or shine, cold or hot! I love that you used unsweetened almond milk, too. I use that often when cooking.

sewa mobil di surabaya said...

hmmmm,
may i ask for the soup
;-)

Disclaimer:

I get asked by readers if I am being paid to push products. The simple answer is no. In fact, most of the products I write about are ones I have found and purchased during my trips to the grocery store or on the road. Occasionally, a company will send a sample my way and if I believe the product will serve a need for my readers and I would buy the product myself, then I will share it with you. Sometimes I will write to a company after reading about it, if I believe it will help us lead healthier lifestyles. But even then, if the product doesn't pass my scrutiny, it won't make the screen of Uncovering Food. You can trust that every product or recipe posted here has passed through my lips, and that I wouldn't blog about it if it wasn't worthy of you... my favorite readers.