dynamite! If there are two things in our crisper that are often looking sad liek they are about to go south, it's a fennel bulb and a bunch of carrots. never again!

Carrot, Fennel & Potato Soup

The fennel gives this carrot soup a pleasing background note of anise. If you love fennel, you can raise the proportion of fennel to carrot as long as the total weight of the two trimmed vegetables is about 1 pound.

INGREDIENTS:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 yellow onion, minced

3 to 4 medium carrots, peeled, in large dice

1/2 large bulb fennel, cored and chopped

1/2 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, in large dice

4 cups chicken or vegetable stock, plus more if needed

Heavy cream or half-and-half, optional

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Freshly grated nutmeg

INSTRUCTIONS:

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over moderate heat. Add the onion and saute until softened, about 8 minutes. Add the carrots, fennel, potatoes and stock. Bring to a simmer. Cover and adjust heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.

Puree the soup in batches in a blender. Return to a clean saucepan and reheat, thinning with additional stock if necessary. Enrich with a little cream or half-and-half if desired. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Divide among warm bowls.

Serves 4 to 6