Apple and fennel soup

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• 2 bulbs of fennel
• 1 apple
• 1 m.-sized onion(s)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 500 ml water
• 500 ml broth
• 100 ml cider or white wine
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 50 g butter
• 1 cup of crème fraîche, 150 g each
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 2 pinches of cayenne pepper
• pepper
• Salt
• 2 slices of toast
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper

Instructions

Working time approx. 10 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 20 minutes; Total time approx. 30 minutes

Roughly chop the fennel bulb, apple, onion, and garlic. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the saucepan and set the stovetop to medium-high heat (induction on level 7 of 9). Add the fennel, onion, and garlic and sauté for about 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Then add the butter, and once it’s melted, add the broth and (boiling/hot) water. Cover the pan and simmer for about 5 minutes (induction on level 5). Then add the apples, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of pepper, 1 teaspoon of turmeric, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, and the apple cider. White wine would probably work too, but I only had the apple cider. Cover again and simmer for about 13 minutes. Then purée the soup, mix in the cup of crème fraîche, add the cayenne pepper, and give it 1-2 turns of the pepper mill. Season briefly and let stand for 1-2 minutes on a low heat (induction 2). If you like, you can now prepare croutons, for example as follows: Cut the toast into approx. 1 cm cubes. Heat olive oil in a pan over high heat and add 2 pinches of salt and pepper (preferably both from the mill). As soon as the oil is hot, add the toast and fry until crispy, stirring constantly. This takes about 1 minute, after which the soup is ready to serve. Serve the soup with the fennel greens and 2-5 croutons. Serve the remaining croutons in a bowl, as they quickly soften in the soup.