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Fennel and Cucumber Soup - Organic Box News 24th - 27th May, 2011

Mattby Matt, 2 yr ago in Blog
Comments | Tags: Box News, summer season, cucumber, soup

Cauliflowers and broccoli are very scarce and of unreliable quality at the moment so Spring cabbages are about the only greens we have available to us. This week’s are from Herefordshire. From Yorkshire we have cucumbers and lettuces, the new potatoes are from Cornwall and the carrots and fennel are from Spain. No-potatoes and large boxes have some of the first of this season’s English tomatoes. The cherries in the fruit boxes are from France and larger boxes have English strawberries.

ARE YOU GETTING THE RIGHT SIZE BOX?

On the end of your box you will find a code letter on a sticker.

Here’s a reminder of the options

A ... Standard veg £9

B ... Standard veg no-potatoes £9

D ... large veg £11

E ... Large veg no potatoes £11

L ... Extra large veg £13

M ... Extra large veg no potatoes £13

GB ... UK grown veg £9

T ... Small Veg and fruit £9

K ... Standard fruit £9

Q ... Large fruit £11

*Save £1.50 if you have 2 boxes*

Remember you can phone or email to add on produce and groceries, or set up a standing order for eggs, milk, bread, potatoes etc.

Fennel and Cucumber Soup

This is based on a summer recipe in Patricia Heggarty’s ‘An English Flavour’, and it does feel very appropriate for this time of year. It can be served hot or chilled. She suggests replacing half the stock with buttermilk for the chilled version as this makes it more refreshing, but as it isn’t easy to find try adding a little extra yoghurt insead; cold soups often need a little extra acidity as well as a bit more seasoning ...

  • 50g butter,
  • 1 small potato finely chopped,
  • 1 onion sliced,
  • 1 large fennel bulb sliced (keep any feathery fronds for garnishing),
  • 1 cucumber peeled and diced (with a little reserved for garnishing), 850ml vegetable stock,
  • 1 teaspoon fennel seeds,
  • salt and pepper,
  • 2 tbsp natural yoghurt ...
  1. Put the fennel seeds in a dry pan and heat them for a minute or two.
  2. Crush with a pestle and mortar.
  3. Melt the butter in a pan and gently cook the onion, fennel and potato for 10 minutes.
  4. Add the stock, fennel seeds and the cucumber. Ridge cucumbers id=
  5. Season, turn up the heat, and simmer for about 8 minutes.
  6. Allow to cool a little, blend and pass through a sieve.  
  7. Serve hot or cold.
  8. Before serving stir in the yoghurt and sprinkle on finely diced cucumber pieces and chopped fennel fronds
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