Caroline Wright’s Soup Club: Fennel Farinata
Makes about 8 bowlfuls (or 2 quarts)
This is a vegan adaptation of a recipe from my first cookbook, Twenty-Dollar, Twenty-Minute Meals. It likes cheese, but if you don’t, top servings with capers fried in olive oil.
1/2 cup hulled millet or coarse cornmeal (sometimes called “polenta”)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped1 small fennel bulb (with fronds preferred), cored and chopped (fronds, optional, reserved)
2 garlic cloves, chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 bay leaves, fresh or dried
1 cup dried chickpeas, soaked overnight
1 small bunch kale, ribs and stems removed, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon lemon juice, plus more to taste
1) Pour millet into a blender jar or spice grinder. Process until millet is about halfway ground. (Test this by rubbing some of the mixture between your fingers; it should feel coarse, but your fingers should be powdery. You should have around 1/2 cup ground millet.)
2) Heat oil in a large, heavy pot over medium heat until hot; add onion, celery, carrot, fennel, and garlic. Season generously with salt and pepper (about 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper). Cook, stirring often, until vegetables have softened (about 10 minutes). While vegetables cook, if using fennel fronds, finely chop enough to make 2 tablespoons; set aside. Stir in reserved millet, bay leaves, chickpeas, kale, and 2 quarts (8 cups) water; season generously with salt (about 1 teaspoon). Cover and bring to a boil.
3) Reduce heat and simmer soup, uncovered and stirring often, until chickpeas are just tender (about 1 hour). Stir in reserved fennel fronds (if using), parsley, and lemon juice. Season with additional salt and lemon juice to taste. Remove bay leaves before serving.
Excerpted from Soup Club: 80 Cozy Recipes for Plant-Based Soups and Stews to Share by Caroline Wright (Andrews McMeel, November 2021).
