Fennel Soup with Walnuts and Blue Cheese

Ingredients

• 3 shallots
• 1 Garlic clove
• 600 g fennel (2 large bulbs)
• 2 Potatoes
• 1 Carrot
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• 100 ml cloudy apple juice
• 1 l vegetable broth
• 30 g walnut kernels (2 tbsp)
• 80 g blue cheese (50% fat in solids)
• 200 g heavy cream

Instructions

1. 1.

   Peel and finely dice the shallots and garlic. Clean, wash, cut off the stalks of the fennel, setting aside the green parts. Peel and chop the potatoes and carrot into small pieces.

2. 2.

   Heat oil in a pot. Sauté all vegetables for 5 minutes over medium heat. Season with salt and pepper, then deglaze with apple juice. Add broth and simmer gently for about 25 minutes.

3. 3.

   During this time, finely chop the fennel greens. Toast walnuts in a hot pan without fat over medium heat for 3 minutes; then roughly chop them. Crumble the cheese.

4. 4.

   Puree the soup with cream until smooth, season with salt and pepper, ladle into bowls and top with walnuts, cheese and fennel greens.