tasty on tuesday {pumpkin, pear, fennel soup; roasted potatoes and fennel}

Two fall favorites of ours to share today. The first is Pumpkin, Pear, and Fennel soup:

With a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Pumpkin, Pear, Fennel Soup

Adapted from the now disappeared No Takeout


1. Trim the root ends and most of the greens from 2 leeks. Cut them lengthwise, rinse well under cold water and slice thinly. Put them in a colander and rinse again. Drain thoroughly.
2. Peel a winter squash (I use butternut, but acorn works too... just way harder to peel!). Cut in half, scrape out the seeds and cut into 1-inch chunks. You should have about 4 cups of squash.
3. Peel, core and chop 2 pears.
4. Peel and dice 1" ginger (or cheat and use a big ole scoop of the minced stuff from the jar!).
5. Coarsely chop 2 tsp fennel seed.
6. In a large soup pot over medium heat, melt 2 Tablespoons butter, then add the leeks and saute until softened, about 3-4 minutes.
7. Add the squash, pears, fennel seed, 3/4 tsp salt and 4 cups chicken stock (or veggie, if you want it to remain vegetarian) to the stockpot.
8. Increase the heat to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook until the vegetables are soft and crush easily against the side of the pot, about 25 minutes.
9. Puree the soup until it is smooth. If it is too thick, thin it with some apple cider (I normally do this no matter what, and cook a little longer to thicken it up if needed).
10. Taste and season with salt and pepper, more ginger or fennel if needed.

To serve, fill a bowl with soup and garnish with a dollop of creme fraiche or plain yogurt and a sprinkling of cinnamon, if desired.



And on the side roasted potatoes, fennel, onion, garlic, and sage. Veggies are never going to be my favorite, but this I would fight people for:

Roasted Potatoes and Fennel

Tweaked slightly from Food Magazine

1. Pre-heat oven to 425F.
2. Toss 1 pound halved mini red potatoes with 1 sliced fennel bulb, 1 sliced white onion, 10 sage leaves, and enough olive oil to coat well.
3. Sprinkle with salt and pepper on a baking sheet. Pop into oven.
4. Slice 8-10 garlic cloves, drizzle with a little olive oil, and add to mixture after about 10 minutes.
5. Roast until golden and crisp, 35 to 40 minutes total, tossing halfway through.


Enjoy!!