I love soup. I love soup in the same deep and committed way I hope to one day love another person (more on that in my next therapy session). Soup can be a snack, a light or hearty meal, and when the situation arises, the perfect antidote to the "Blehs". This was the case I found myself in recently, trapped in a few days of nausea from pain killers I was taking post-knee surgery. At some point, I hope to include some Wegrzyn (my Nana's) and Tabriz (my Mom's) soup recipe secrets, because it really is my go-to meal of choice, but today, I'll share a simple vegetarian Ribollita recipe from SOUP (edited by Debra Mayhew) that is simple, tasty, and quick to make. Ribollita can best be described as Minestrone with the noodles replaced by beans. After looking at the ingredients list, I almost took a pass. Everything looked fine until I hit Fennel in the ingredients. Fennel... that is codeword for anise, which is codeword for black licorice... Ewww! I decided to pursue anyways. I was too tired to hunt for another recipe that met my ambiguous requirements for what I'd decided would make me feel better (nothing too spicy, not too heavy and creamy, etc.) and was optimistic the other ingredients would mask any hints of black licorice. If not, I still had some ice cream left and a bowl of that, though definitely less nutritious, would certainly be as satisfying. Final verdict? Delicious! After all was cooked and tasted, I do credit the fennel for the distinguishing flavor in an otherwise hearty vegetable soup, and not at all a bad distinguishing flavor, but a spicy, fresh (almost medicinal), and sweet flavor just faintly resembling black licorice. After some further investigation, it turns out that fennel seed is the real culprit of the licorice flavor and though commonly confused, it's actually not the same as anise seed. I've learned my lesson, opened my mind, and will not be so quick to judge recipes calling for fennel bulb in the future.

Ingredients

Soup

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 onions, chopped
• 2 carrots, sliced
• 4 garlic gloves, crushed
• 2 celery stalks, finely sliced
• 1 fennel bulb, trimmed and chopped
• 2 large zucchini, finely sliced
• 14 oz can crushed tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons pesto*
• 3 3/4 cups vegetable stock
• 14 oz can haricot, borlotti, or cannelloni beans
• salt and pepper, to taste

Serving

• 1 lb spinach
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• crusty white bread
• parmesan cheese shavings

* Though you can use store bought pesto, I strongly suggest making your own. I love the smell of fresh basil and pesto is not only simple to make (recipe), but much better tasting than anything you'll find in a grocery store jar.

Directions
Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the onions, carrots, garlic, celery, and fennel and fry slowly for 10 minutes. Add the zucchini slices and fry for 2 minutes longer.

Add the crushed tomatoes, vegetable stock, beans, and pesto and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 25 to 35 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serving
Fry the spinach in the oil for 2 minutes or until it wilts. Serve the soup over the spinach and bread (how it's traditionally served) and sprinkle parmesan on top.

Labels: soup, vegetarian