Caramelized Fennel and Potato Soup
Fennel cooked down at home until it stops tasting like licorice, then dried with potato so camp is one boil.
- calories
- 480
- weight
- 3.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 137
- protein
- 9 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 5 min
- cook
- 8 min
- total time
- 13 min
- water
- 450 ml boiled
- cost
- $
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Lunch
- Canister stove
- Alcohol / Esbit
- Liquid fuel
- Backpacking
- Basecamp
- Bikepacking
- Winter / snow
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Gluten free
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Dehydrate ahead
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Fennel bulb | 1 large | sliced thin, caramelized and dried at home |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow onion | 1 medium | caramelized with the fennel |
| Olive oil | 2 tbsp at home, 1 tbsp in a dropper bottle for camp | |
| Garlic | 3 cloves | dried with the fennel, or 1/2 tsp garlic powder |
| Instant mashed potato flakes | 3/4 cup | replaces the fresh potatoes |
| Vegetable bouillon | 1 cube or 1 tsp powder | |
| Salt and pepper | to taste |
Method
- At home, heat 2 tbsp oil in a heavy pot over medium-low. Add the sliced fennel and onion, stir to coat, and leave them mostly alone for about an hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Splash in water if they stick. They are done when they are deep brown and a quarter of their old volume.
- Stir in the minced garlic for the last two minutes, then spread the whole mess on dehydrator trays and dry at 135F until brittle, 6 to 8 hours. Grind it coarse and bag it with the bouillon.
- In camp, boil 450 ml of water. Add the fennel mix and let it sit off heat for five minutes to rehydrate.
- Stir in the potato flakes a spoonful at a time until it thickens. Pour the oil over, add salt and pepper, and eat.
Fennel tastes like licorice until you cook the sugar out of it. An hour on low heat over a thick-bottomed pot turns it sweet and dark, and nobody at the table names the vegetable. That hour is the whole recipe, and it happens in your kitchen, not at a windy campsite.
The original leans on boiled potatoes and an immersion blender for creaminess. Neither travels. Instant potato flakes do the same job in one minute and carry dry, so the trail version is a single boil and a stir. No milk or cream is needed here, and none was needed in the kitchen either.
Packing
Ground fennel mix and bouillon in one bag, potato flakes in a second. Keeping them apart lets you control the thickness instead of guessing.
Variations
- A scoop of unflavored pea protein or a foil packet of chicken makes it a real dinner.
- Nutritional yeast adds body without dairy.
- Skip the dehydrator and use 1/2 cup dried onion flakes plus 1 tsp fennel seed. Different soup, same idea, no home prep.
https://www.bowlofdelicious.com/creamy-potato-caramelized-fennel-and-kale-soup