(makes 4 half-cup appetizer servings)

Natasha from 5 Star Foodie is back with a trio of recipes for a complete three-course fennel pollen tasting menu. She starts us off with a cauliflower soup that looks like just the thing to shake off the lingering cold weather. Don’t forget to check our her entree- Seared Bay Scallops with Fennel Pollen Foam and dessert – Fennel Pollen Pot de Creme.

February Fennel Pollen Friday: Cauliflower Fennel Pollen Bisque

Fennel pollen is a fragrant spice with a mysterious flavor, reminiscent of fennel seeds but sweeter, a lot more aromatic and potent. Fennel pollen is collected from the flowers of the fennel plant that grows wild on the sunny inland and coastal fields of California. The flowers are collected at the peak of bloom and carefully dried and screened for the pollen.
It takes many fennel flowers to produce a small amount of the pollen, making this spice almost as expensive as saffron. However, only a small pinch of fennel pollen is required to add an intriguing and intense aromatic dimension of flavor to seafood, meat, or vegetables.

On Fridays in February, I will explore this spice in three different dishes. Today’s recipe shows how the addition of fennel pollen can enhance the taste of cauliflower in a creamy and deliciously aromatic bisque.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
Cauliflower florets, about 2 cups
2/3 cup onions, chopped
1 parsnip, peeled, chopped
1 tablespoon fennel pollen
1 1/2 cup stock
1/2 cup cream
Salt, pepper to taste

Directions:
In a large saucepan, melt butter. Add cauliflower, onion, and parsnips and cook the vegetables for 5-8 minutes until the onions are translucent.

Add fennel pollen, mix well. Pour stock over and season with salt to taste. Cook for about 20 minutes or until the vegetables are soft.

Blend well using immersion blender (can also use food processor or a regular blender). Strain back into a saucepan. Add cream and mix with an immersion blender.

Heat until the soup just starts to boil and serve immediately.

Posted by Matthew on Feb 12, 2010

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Fennel Blossom Soup

From The Herbal Kitchen: Cooking with Fragrance and Flavor by Jerry Traunfeld. To be published November 1, 2005 by Morrow Cookbooks. © 2005 by Jerry Traunfeld.

6 servings

Fennel blooms in mid-summer with airy umbels of tiny yellow flowers that have a sweet anise flavor. Soon after, the umbels are covered with soft, intensely flavored green seeds. A spice called fennel pollen is made from the sieved dried fennel flowers. Use whichever form you can come by; flowers, green seeds, or dried pollen. All will impart a similar wild, grassy fennel flavor to this soup, which is delicious served chilled if the weather suggests it.

2 cups sliced leek, white part only (about 1 large)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 cups diced fennel bulb (about 2 medium, trimmed)
4 cups chicken broth
2 teaspoons fresh green fennel, fresh fennel flowers or dried fennel pollen, plus additional for garnish
Freshly ground black pepper
Kosher salt

1. Cook the leek in the butter in a saucepan over medium heat until the leek wilts. Add the fennel bulb and chicken broth. Cover and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes. Stir in the fennel flowers, seeds, or pollen.

2. Puree the soup in two batches in a blender until very smooth. Be very careful when doing this - fill the blender no more than half full so that the hot soup does not splash out, and pulse it in quick spurts before switching it on continuously. Pour it back into the saucepan and reheat it until it simmers. Taste the soup, season with pepper, and add salt if you think it needs it. If you used canned or boxed broth, it might need very little. Serve hot or chilled, garnished with a small pinch of fennel flowers, chopped fresh seed, or dried pollen.

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