Serving size: Serves 6
Cooking time: Less than 60 minutes
Course: Main, Soup

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INGREDIENTS

2 medium fennel bulbs
30g butter
2 medium brown onions, chopped coarsely
2 cloves garlic, quartered
2kg egg tomatoes, quartered
10g butter, extra
2 cloves garlic, crushed, extra
3 cups chicken or vegetable stock

METHOD

Trim fennel, discarding woody stalks and all but ½ cup of the fine uppermost leaves; reserve leaves. Chop about third of the fennel finely; reserve. Chop remaining fennel coarsely.

Melt butter in large saucepan. Cook coarsely chopped fennel, onion and garlic, stirring, until onion is soft.

Add tomato; cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes or until tomato is very soft and pulpy.

Blend or process soup mixture, in batches, until smooth then pass through a food mill or fine sieve back into same pan.

Heat extra butter in small frying pan; cook garlic and finely chopped fennel, stirring, until fennel is just soft and golden brown.

Add to soup with stock; bring to the boil. Simmer about 5 minutes or until soup is hot.

Just before serving stir in finely chopped reserved fennel leaves.