A Bowl of Sour Cherries

This apartment is plagued by mid-winter disease and, in the case of me at this moment, an acute case of cabin fever, not to mention my dishwasher is making some utterly suspect noises and I believe in ghosts. I am taking a walk promptly after uploading this. Frankly, I don’t have the time nor the patience to be doing this right now. But I do it because I care. I care about you.

Back to the disease I mentioned. I was epically ill for a few days last week and, after properly germing up the joint, my boyfriend is now host to whatever it was they were trying to catch in that Contagion movie starring absolutely every damn body in Hollywood. Did you see that movie? Don’t worry, no one did. It was the worst, but wow, what a cast.

So last night I summoned the sorcerer residing deep within my bosom, keeping guard of the secrets to A LOT OF STUFF THAT SHALL REMAIN SECRET, except for this soup recipe that I’ll share because, if it doesn’t set you right on the road to recovery, you’re probably going to die. Just enjoy these last moments. House a bag of Milanos, that’s really the only way to go.

Carrot and Fennel Soup

14-16 Large carrots, peeled and chopped
2 Large fennel bulbs, sliced
1 Onion, chopped
2 Cloves garlic, smashed
2 Tbsp Olive oil
1 Bay leaf
2 Tsp Caraway seeds
4 Cups Chicken stock (or for veggie people, vegetable stock)
2 Tbsp lemon thyme
Salt and Pepper, to taste
1/2 cup yogurt (optional, again, for extreme veggie folks)

Combine carrots, fennel, onion, and olive oil in a large soup pot and saute for 10 minutes. Add bay leaf and caraway and saute another 2 minutes. Add chicken stock, bring to a boil, and lower to medium heat for about 20 minutes, or until vegetables are tender (fennel will likely take longest to cook). With a slotted spoon, transfer veggies to a food processor and blend until smooth. You could do the whole thing with an immersion blender as well, unless you just really want to play with your new food processor. Return veggie puree to the stock, add lemon thyme, and bring to a simmer on low heat. Season with salt and pepper. Add yogurt if you so choose.