A Simple Potato, Leek, Fennel & Thyme Stew for Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammie) Sundays

Yesterday was stormy--rainy and windy and probably the better day for making this simple vegetable stew than the sunny weather we are enjoying today. But, although this stew is packed with vegetables, it isn't particularly heavy so it really works for any type of weather.

I kept this stew very simple and vegan with the basics like carrot, celery, potatoes and garlic, partnered with a my favorites; fennel and leek. To the thyme I added a little caraway seed and celery salt and for a garnish, I added some garlic-pepper crispy fried onions for crunch. All together it works and is deliciously satisfying.

Simple Potato, Leek, Fennel & Thyme Stew
by Deb, Kahakai Kitchen
(Makes 8 servings)

1 Tbsp olive oil  
2 large leeks, white & light green parts only, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
2 medium fennel bulbs, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced 
5 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp caraway seeds
1 tsp celery salt
2 bay leaves
8 cups good veggie stock (I used homemade garlic broth)
1 cup defrosted frozen sweet peas
sea salt and black pepper to taste
fried onions to garnish, optional

Add olive oil to large soup pot and sauté leeks, celery, carrot, fennel, and garlic for medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, until vegetables are softened. Add potatoes, thyme, caraway seed, celery salt and bay leaves and saute for another minute.

Add broth to pot, bring to a boil and simmer and until potatoes and other veggies are tender, about 20 minutes or so. Place 3 ladles of soup into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour blender contents back into the soup pot and stir to combine. Simmer another 4 to 5 minutes for flavors to finish blending. Taste and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Serve hot, topped with freshly ground pepper and fried onions if desired. 

Notes/Results: After running across conversations and recipes about stew, I was craving it and this veggie version hit the spot. I like the sweetness of the peas, carrots and leeks, the creamy chunks of potato and anise-flavor of the fennel. The combination of the thyme, caraway seed and celery salt, with a good garlicky broth add lots of flavor and keep it from being boring. Rather than using flour, I thickened the stew by pureeing some of the veggies and adding it back in--so it is gluten-free as well. Warming and satisfying, I'm going to be very happy noshing on this all week. 

We have a couple of delicious dishes waiting in the Souper Sundays kitchen from last week--let's have a look!

Debra of Eliot's Eats shared Wild Rice Salad with Dried Fruit and Arugula and said, "This salad was a welcome change to all the rice bowls we have been eating. This Eat Beautiful recipe may be my new favorite. It actually gets better the longer it sets. This salad can be made ahead; simply mix the rice, lemon juice, garlic and dried fruit. Then, add the arugula and the pistachios right before serving. If packing this for lunches, just put the arugula and pistachios in separate compartments and mix it all up before eating."

Here at Kahakai Kitchen, I made Heidi Swanson's Chickpea Wraps with Celery, Dill & Mustard. It's a simple salad with a yogurt-mustard dressing, tucked into sandwich wraps along with baby micro greens. The chickpeas--both whole and chopped in the food processor add texture, along with the crisp celery. The salad gets even better after a few days.

Mahalo to Debra who joined in this week! 

Souper Sundays is back with a new format of a picture link each week where anyone interested can post their soups, salads, or sandwiches any time during the week and I post a recap of the entries the following week.)

(If you aren't familiar with Souper Sundays, you can read about of the origins of it here. 

If you would like to join in Souper (Soup, Salad, and Sammie) Sundays, I would love to have you! Here's how...

To join in this week's linkup with your soup, salad or sandwich:

• Link up your soup (stew, chili, soupy curries, etc. are fine), salad, or sandwich dish, (preferably one from the current week or month--but we'll take older posts too) on the picture link below and leave a comment on this post so I am sure not to miss you.

On your entry post (on your blog):

• please mention Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen and link back to this post.
• you are welcome to add the wonderful Souper Sundays logo (created by Ivy at Kopiaste) to your post and/or blog (optional).

An InLinkz Link-up

Have a happy, healthy week!