Y’all, it’s downright chilly in Texas. And I am LOVING it. Alan may or may not be, as it means I will soon be pleading for him to go cut more firewood, but we are over here enjoying an honest to goodness fall/early winter. Which means that in between gift shopping (have you checked out our Foodie Holiday Gift Guide?), package wrapping and tree trimming, I am capitalizing on the opportunity to enjoy all things warm and cozy. Starting with soup! Specifically, this roast tomato bisque with fennel seed and coriander. Fennel seed is a new love of mine and it called to me as I was throwing this soup together last week. When I’m choosing spices for a soup or a dish, my general rule is if they smell good together, they will taste good together. I’m sure there is an exception, but it hasn’t let me down yet.
Roasting the tomatoes adds a gorgeous depth of flavor and the coriander and fennel provide just enough spice to make it interesting.
Please, please, please don’t skip the roasting of the tomato step. Yes, it’s an extra step, but it’s not much work and it will make your kitchen smell like a gorgeous tomato heaven and it is pure magic for your soup.
You’re going to add a little white wine and garlic to this equation (because, when have booze and garlic NOT made food better?) Spoiler alert- the answer is never, ever. And presto- you have Roast Tomato Bisque with Fennel Seeds- easy enough for a Tuesday night, but worthy of a Christmas Eve first course. I hope you are all enjoying the holidays and especially gearing up for holiday cooking as much as I am. Happy Holidays and Happy Cooking!
Couple recipe notes-
- You may sub extra chicken stock for the wine if you must, but the alcohol completely cooks out and its add a lovely layer of flavor- so I would recommend keeping it in.
- Feel free to add more cream at the end to your taste. I felt the soup was deliciously creamy on it’s own, so we opted for less cream than I would typically use in a bisque.
xo-Amanda
Roast Tomato Bisque with Fennel Seed
Roast Tomato Bisque with Fennel. The roast tomatoes and spices give this soup a depth of flavor you just can’t get with canned tomatoes.
- 2 and 1/2 pounds Roma tomatoes
- Olive oil
- 1 Teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- 2 Teaspoons Kosher salt (divided)
- 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 1 shallot, thinly sliced
- 4 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1/3 Cup Dry white wine
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1/2 Teaspoon fennel seed
- 1/2 Teaspoon Coriander Seeds
- 1 Teaspoon Sherry Vinegar
- 1/4 Cup Heavy Cream (or half and half)
- Heat oven to 325 degrees F.
- Core tomatoes and cut in half length-wise.
- Arrange tomato halves on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and toss with Italian seasoning, 1 Teaspoon of the salt and enough olive oil to coat.
- Roast tomatoes, cut side up for 1 hour.
- Using a mortar and pestle, grind the fennel and coriander seeds until they are mostly broken up, but not powdered. (You can also place seeds in plastic baggie and use a rolling pin to break them up. )
- When the tomatoes are done, remove from oven and set aside
- Coat the bottom of a large dutch oven or pot with olive oil
- Saute onions with a big pinch of salt, the ground fennel and coriander until onions are translucent- about 10 minutes
- Add shallot and garlic and saute two more minutes.
- Add the wine to deglaze the pot and reduce by half- about 3 minutes
- Add the roasted tomatoes and chicken stock and simmer 20 minutes
- Allow to cool slightly and puree soup to desired consistency. (I like it to still have some texture)
- Pour soup back into a clean pot.
- Stir in the sherry vinegar and cream.
- Reheat if necessary.
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