Chilly Weather Means It's Time for Soup

I found the perfect recipe for our harvest this week. It is a super yummy and hearty soup that used almost everything we got. I found this recipe on From Argentina With Love and adapted it a bit, but it uses sorrel, potatoes, fennel, and carrots. Sorrel is something really special. It's this great little leafy green that tastes just like sour strawberries, crazy! The first time I tried them, it was nuts. They look similar to spinach but pack a powerful punch. I also learned that their tartness comes from oxalic acid (kidney stones!) and can be fatal if too much is ingested. If you haven't tried sorrel, find some and buy it, they're pretty awesome.

This soup is super delicious, the picture does not do it justice. The weather has been freezing here the past few days, in other words it's been under 75 degrees, so I was in the mood for a nice hot soup. It's really hearty and can be eaten as a meal. The potatoes make it really chunky, the fennel gives a sweet anise-y taste, and it's so creamy. I think it would also be great to add some corn or any other veggies. I also used turkey bacon in an attempt to make it a little more healthy. I don't eat bacon very often, so I didn't realized that turkey bacon doesn't crisp up like normal pork bacon. The bacon added a nice taste, but it would have been nice to have that crispy textural difference. Regardless, this soup is so yummy and absolutely delightful.

Sorrel Soup

• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1  onion, chopped
• 1/4 chopped fennel bulb
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 large carrot, chopped
• 5 red la soda potatoes, peeled and chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 2 generous teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• salt, to taste
• pepper, to taste
• Crumbled bacon, for garnish 

Put the oil in a stock pot and heat over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and fennel and sprinkle with pepper to taste. Cook until the onion starts to get transparent, but not mushy, about 5 minutes. Add the bay leaf, carrot and potatoes and a scant handful of coarse salt. Pour the chicken stock in, just enough to just cover the potatoes. Bring to a boil, and stir to combine the ingredients, then lower the heat. Let simmer until the potatoes are soft and can be mashed with a fork.  Stir in the sorrel, mustard and heavy cream and heat through. Remove the soup from the heat and mash potatoes with a hand potato masher. You want a chunky consistency. Serve, piping hot, garnished with bacon.