Fennel and Tomato Soup

I am completely engaged by Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles Cookbook, and not only because it is the book he autographed (!). The writing makes me want to start my own restaurant, and the recipes are intriguing and...mostly foreign to me. I am by no means a French cook--in fact, I cannot think of one French thing I've made, perhaps excluding a roux. Actually, what I think I'm trying to say is that this book scares me, but in a very very good way. So, it is only natural that the first recipe I chose to prepare was the one with the least ingredients and instructions.

Ingredients

4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

2 fennel bulbs, cored and thinly sliced

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 small potato, cut into 1/4-inch cubes

1 8-ounce can plum tomatoes

6 cups light chicken stock or broth

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Equipment

large pot

wooden spoon

blender

Method

In the large pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat and add the fennel, onion, and potato. Reduce the heat to medium low and let the vegetables sweat for 10 minutes, taking care to not let them brown. Add the tomatoes and cook for 10 minutes more. Stir in the chicken stock; bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 1 hour.

Remove the pot from the heat and let the soup cool for a few minutes. Transfer the mix to the blender and, working in batches to avoid accidents, puree until smooth. Return to the pot, bring to a boil, lower to a simmer, and season with salt and pepper.

I was initially skeptical about using the potato; it just didn't seem to "go". But when pureed, it added a slight creamy consistency and viscosity that added a lovely component to the soup. The slow cooking allowed all the flavors to blend and become one, which made the process completely worth the time. And, this is one of the healthiest dishes in the cookbook! Definitely making this one again, very soon...

P.S. My soup appears slightly chunky because, well--it is. I don't own a blender, so I used my mini food chopper. It worked just fine, but since I had to work in a few batches, and I was ravenous, I hastily and sloppily pureed the soup. It should be smooth.