Fennel Tomato Soup with Parmesan Fennel Breadsticks

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups coarsely chopped fennel, bulb only
1/2 cup chopped onions
6 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tablespoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons white pepper
1 1/2 cups peeled, seeded and chopped Italian plum tomatoes (about 6 tomatoes)
1/4 cup plus 2 teaspoons Pernod
2 quarts chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup coarsely grated fresh Parmesan cheese
8 sprigs fresh fennel leaves

Instructions

Heat the oil in a large soup pot over high heat. Add the fennel and onions, and saute for 1 minute. Stir in the garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add the salt and pepper and saute for 1 minute. Stir in the tomatoes and Pernod and cook for 2 minutes.

Stir in the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour. Whisk in the cream, streaming it in slowly, and cook for 2 minutes longer. Remove from the heat and puree the soup in batches in a food processor. Reheat if necessary.

Serve hot, allowing 1 cup of soup per person. Stir 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese into each serving. Lay a breadstick across each bowl and hang a fennel sprig from each breadstick, so it drapes into the soup.

Yield: 8 cups