Ingredients

The following ingredients have 6 Servings
  • 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 large shallot, sliced
  • 1/4 fennel bulb, slivered
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 small bunch of fresh thyme, tied in a bundle with kitchen string
  • 4 cups chicken stock
  • 3 cups white beans, cooked
  • 1/4 cup fennel bulb, diced
  • 1-2 rinds of parmesan reggiano
  • 1 tablespoon heavy cream (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
  • salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Instruction

  • heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a Dutch oven; add onion, shallot, slivered fennel, salt and pepper, and cook until soft; add garlic, and bundle of thyme, and cook, stirring constantly, until very fragrant (about 1-2 minutes)
  • add chicken stock, beans, diced fennel, and parmesan wedges; simmer for about 30 minutes to blend flavors, stirring occasionally to lace the melting parmesan threads through the soup.
  • turn off heat; remove bundle of thyme, and give it a good shake over the soup to release any loose leaves, then discard; remove parmesan rinds, and set aside.
  • using an immersion blender, pulse the soup until about 1/2 of the beans are just barely pureed (be careful not to overblend, or your soup may become pasty)
  • stir in cream, and return parmesan wedges to soup; ladle into bowls, and top with ground pepper and fresh thyme leaves