Pumpkin, Apple and Fennel Soup

This is a smooth, creamy soup with a sweet, perfumy, anise-like flavour imparted from the fennel. Roasting the vegetables helps to bring out all the flavours. 

Ingredients
serves 4
takes 1 hour to roast, 10 minutes to prepare

• 1kg pumpkin, peeled & cut into 5cm cubes
• 2 apples, quartered & cored
• 1 large fennel bulb, cut into wedges
• 1 large brown onion, cut into wedges
• 1 garlic bulb, peel away the outer layers of the bulb skin, leaving the skins of the individual cloves intact. Using a knife, cut off 1/4 to a 1/2 inch of the top of cloves, exposing the individual cloves of garlic
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup thick Greek yoghurt
• 1 tbsp pumpkin seeds, toasted

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180oC.
2. Place pumpkin, apples, fennel & onion in a large roasting pan with the garlic bulb in the centre. Drizzle with olive oil & sprinkle with fennel seeds. Season well with sea salt & freshly ground pepper.
3. Roast for one hour, turning half way through.
4. Let vegetables cool slightly then transfer to a large pot and add stock.
5. Using a hand blender, whiz until smooth.
6. Add 1 cup of yoghurt. Cover and reheat slowly on the stove top.
7. Serve with a dollop of yoghurt and sprinkle with pumpkin seeds. Enjoy!