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Fennel, Garlic and Potato Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil

½ large or 1 medium onion, diced

2 ribs celery, diced

2 pounds bulb fennel, trimmed, washed and diced

Salt to taste

1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced

6 garlic cloves, peeled and halved

Bouquet garni (see note)

2 quarts water, vegetable stock or chicken stock

Pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat and add the onion, celery, chopped fennel and a generous pinch of salt. Cook gently for about 5-8 minutes, until the vegetables have softened and lost some of their volume.

Add the potatoes, garlic, bouquet garni and the water or stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, add salt to taste, cover and simmer 45 minutes. Remove the bouquet garni. Blend the soup until smooth with an immersion blender, or ladle into a blender, working in 1½-cup batches. Return to the pot. Heat through, add salt and pepper to taste.

Serves six.

Cook's note: To make bouquet garni, add 1 bay leaf, a couple of sprigs each parsley and thyme, ½ teaspoon fennel seeds and ¼ teaspoon black peppercorns to a piece of cheese cloth and tie up in a bundle.

"The Very Best of Recipes for Health" by Martha Rose Shulman

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