Fennel & Chickpea Soup with Saffron
As my family already knows, I am definitely not a short order cook. I will happily plan make eggs 
on toast or a quick pasta pesto for dinner, but whatever it is we all sit down to eat the same meal.
That was simple until my 7 year old became a vegetarian and in an instant disrupted our regular rotation of weeknight dinners.
On the upside it encourages me to be more thoughtful about the amount of meat we eat. I’m not desperately drawn to the “pretend meat” alternatives on offer so I’m frequently left scratching my head for inspiration. There is no easy way to replace a roast chicken dinner.
In my quest for variety and peace of mind, making at least a vegetarian soup on Sunday for the weeknight rotation reduces the last minute anxiety of “what are we having for dinner tonight.” It’s an excuse to buy a fancy fresh loaf of bread to spread with creamy butter and the soup always tastes better having rested in the fridge for a couple of days anyway.
Using the Magic Mineral Broth base from last weeks post (not a pre requisite to complete our recipe) the fennel and chickpea soup from Rebecca Katz’s book combines Mediterranean flavors with other ingredients that don’t leave me thinking a food group is missing.
As noted by Katz herself, it is worth letting the fennel and onion soften together first to develop their flavors before adding the carrots and other ingredients. There is a real orangey flavor from the zest, and the chickpeas add a generous thickness to it.
We purchase all of our authentic saffron from Afghanistan for our home kitchens and our Slow Cooker Spice Blends from Rumi Spice in Chicago.
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 fennel bulbs, 1 cm dice (use white & green parts of bulb)
- 2 cups / 1 large onion, small dice
- 1 cup / 1 large carrot, small dice
- 1 tsp / 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 tsp cumin, ground
- 1/2 tsp coriander, ground
- generous pinch of saffron (20 threads)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- pinch red pepper flakes *optional
- 6 cups magic mineral broth OR 4 cups vegetable broth + 2 cups water
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 * 15oz cans chickpeas, drained & rinsed
- 1/4 tsp orange zest
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 tbsp parsley &/or mint, chopped for garnish
- heat the olive oil in a medium skillet; soften the fennel & onion for 2-3 minutes
- stir the carrot & garlic into the fennel mixture and cook for a further 1 minute
- transfer the fennel, onion, carrot & garlic to the slow cooker
- stir in the cumin, coriander, saffron, salt, red pepper*, broth, lemon juice & chickpeas
- cover and cook on LOW for 6-7 hours or HIGH for 3-4 hours
- if using an immersion blender, blend to a course puree
- if using a free standing blender, puree to the desired consistency
- stir in the orange & lemon zests and garnish with the green herbs
“Stay committed to your decisions, but stay flexible in your approach”
-Tony Robbins
