fennel and white bean soup

Inspired by recipe found on Epicurius.

Ingredients

• 2 heads fennel
• 1 large onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 8 oz center-cut bacon
• 3 cans cannelloni beans, drained and kept separate
• 1 1/2 qt chicken broth
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (plus more for garnish)
• 2 green onions (optional garnish)
• salt for seasoning
• black pepper for seasoning

Hardware

• chef knife
• 5 qt dutch oven (or high sided 12” skillet)
• slatted wooden spatula
• immersion blender (or food processor)

Directions

1. Mise en place
   • Cut off fennel stems at the start of the feathery leaves. Dispose of leaves and stems. Cut off and dispose of brown base where harvested. Chop fennel bulbs finely and aside in bowl.
   • Chop one large onion and dice 2 cloves garlic. Set aside in bowl with fennel.
   • Cut bacon into 1/2” strips.
   • Drain beans but keep in original cans.
   • Cut green portion of onions thinly, on a bias.
2. Heat dutch oven to medium high and then cook bacon.
3. Remove bacon when fully browned. Drain off all but 2 tbsp of the bacon fat.
4. Add in onions and fennel. Saute until fennel is tender, about 5-8 minutes.
5. Add in chicken broth and 1 can of beans. Simmer for 5 minutes.
6. Take off heat. When safe to handle, use immersion blender on soup until smooth. If using a food processor, it may be a good idea to let it cool down even further, to a little above room temperature. Put into food processor in batches that the device can safely handle. Return to dutch oven.
7. Add in remaining 2 cans of cannelloni beans. Bring back up to simmer for 10 minutes.
8. Remove from heat and garnish generously with bacon and green onions. Drizzle on a small amount of olive oil- maybe spelling out your name so everyone knows who made this soup.