Spiced Fennel Apple Soup for Healing

A warming, creamy, plant-based soup to make me feel better about spending Sunday afternoon in an MRI machine.

As I was slowly wedged into an MRI machine the size of an elephant, wearing a standard issue poly-blend gown and turquoise hospital socks that sag around your ankles, I noticed the flouncy General Electric "GE" logo staring down at me. While thinking of how funny it is that the same company that made my MRI machine also made my dishwasher, I was reminded of kitchens, and it occurred to me that I had been meaning to make fennel soup for dinner.

During an MRI, there isn't much to do besides close your eyes and have a good think. The machinery clanks and whirs loudly, like a roller coaster making it’s ascent, and there isn’t even enough space to hold a book. So my mind turned to my favorite subject of dinner.

What do I feed a body - my body - that has been through so much medical poking and prodding today? How do I nourish myself, body and soul, when the anxiety of medical "stuff" starts to take over?

The answer is a big bowl of plant-rich, creamy, spicy soup that’s as powerful in its healing properties as it is delicious, and that’s exactly what this is. I knew I wanted fennel to be the star ingredient because of how powerfully soothing it is.

Fennel is found in some of the most ancient medical systems, with applications ranging from curing mild colds to treating cancer to soothing colicky infants. It's a well-documented galactagogue, meaning it increases the quantity and quality of breast milk. Fennel is also known to increase collagen production and soft tissue repair.

So basically, fennel is cool!

My spiced fennel apple soup is warming, creamy, and plant-based. It does not contain dairy or gluten, which is essential for my body during times of healing. 

It has sweetness from the apple and tubers, minty freshness from the fennel, savoriness from the white onion and garlic, creaminess from the coconut milk, and a warm punch from the ginger and chilis.

Blended soups scream for generous aromatics and spice; otherwise, they become unpleasantly reminiscent of baby food, so bring on the garlic and chili. 

I served it with toasted pepitas, cilantro, and a drizzle of evoo. Some other ideas for serving are torn croutons, candied fennel seeds, crispy oven baked chickpeas, warm crusty sourdough with butter, quesadillas, or a grilled cheese sandwich.

This spiced fennel apple soup was so very comforting and nourishing. It made me feel better about spending my Sunday afternoon in an MRI machine.

Spiced Fennel Apple Soup

Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for serving

• 2 medium yellow onions, roughly chopped (totaling 4 cups)

• 2 medium fennel bulbs, roughly chopped (totaling 3 cups)

• 1 apple, peeled, cored, and roughly chopped (Honeycrisp or Fiji are suitable varieties)

• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

• 2 teaspoons salt (I used Diamond Crystal during recipe development)

• 1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger

• 6 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced or grated

• 1 jalapeño pepper, deseeded and roughly chopped (or leave the seeds in if you’re cool)

• 1 bay leaf

• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder

• 1 13-ounce can coconut milk

• 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped (totaling 4 cups)

• 4 cups bone or vegetable broth, preferably homemade if you have it

Instructions:

1. Warm 3 tablespoons of oil (or ghee) over medium-high heat in a large soup pot with a lid.

2. Add 2 roughly chopped white onions, 2 bulbs of roughly chopped fennel, 1 peeled and chopped apple, and 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, and 1 teaspoon of salt to the soup pot. Sauté everything over medium-high heat for 5 minutes or until the onions are soft and translucent.

3. When the onions are soft, fold in 1 tablespoon of finely grated fresh ginger, 4-6 cloves of thinly sliced garlic, 1 deseeded and chopped jalapeño, 1 bay leaf, and 1/2 teaspoon of chili powder. Sauté the spices over medium heat, stirring regularly, for 2 minutes, or until everything is aromatic.

4. Once the garlic and spices are evenly incorporated and smelling fragrant, stir in the entire 13 oz can of coconut milk and bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat.

5. Once the coconut milk reaches a boil, stir in all 4 cups of peeled and chopped sweet potatoes, all 4 cups of broth, and the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt.

6. Bring this mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer with the lid on for about 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork-tender, stirring once or twice to ensure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pot.

7. Once the potatoes are fork-tender, remove the soup from the heat and let it cool slightly.

8. Pluck out the bay leaf, then use an immersion or glass blender to blend the soup until smooth and homogenous. Taste test for salt and add more if needed.

   1. Topping ideas: toasted crunchy things, chili pepper flakes, good extra virgin olive oil, fresh herbs, quick pickled red onions, crispy chunks of tofu, crispy oven roasted chickpeas, salsa verde, or chili crisp.