Brocolli Fennel Soup

Brocolli Fennel Soup

This soup is wonderful.  The crisp, licorice-like flavour of the fennel is a nice addition to the earthiness of the brocolli.  And it’s quick - I make it a couple of times a week for a nutritious lunch. 

Health Properties

Fennel, bay leaves and black pepper (all three) are carminative herbs which promote digestion.   Fennel is an antispasmodic and calms the digestive system, while  bay leaves and black pepper help clear the gastrointestinal tract.  Brocolli is part of the cabbage family and is considered a bitter – one of the least used flavours in North America, and the most important for digestion.  It has more vitamin C than grapefruit and is abundant in chlorophyll -  which helps renew the liver.  Onion lowers blood pressure and lowers holesterol.

Ingredients

2 teaspoons Fennel seeds

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

1 teaspoon rock salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion

1 head of brocolli

fresh water

plain yoghurt

Instructions

1.     Dice onion and sauté in olive oil on moderate heat until it is translucent, but not brown.  Grind fennel, pepper and rock salt in a spice grinder.  Add to onion during the last minute of cooking. Sauté with the onion for one minute.

2.     Cut brocolli into small florettes.  Remove the thick skin of the stalks and dice those too.  Add brocolli to onion and spice mixture.  Sauté until bright green (about minute).

3.     Pour in fresh water to just barely cover the brocolli florets.  Bring to a boil and then reduce heat.  Simmer for ten minutes.  Remove from heat and blend with a hand blender or run through a food processor.

4.     Serve with a dollop of fresh yoghurt.