Anise Spiced Squash Soup With Fennel Chips Recipes

Steps:

• Make soup:
• Cook fennel, squash, onion, and anise seeds in butter in a 6- to 8-quart pot over moderate heat, covered, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes. Add water and simmer, covered, until squash is very tender, 25 to 30 minutes.
• Purée soup in batches in a blender (use caution when blending hot liquids) and season with salt and pepper.
• Make fennel chips:
• Preheat oven to 225°F.
• Boil water and sugar in a small saucepan, stirring, until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and add lemon juice. Cut fennel bulb lengthwise into paper-thin slices using a mandoline or other manual slicer. Pour sugar mixture over fennel in a bowl and let stand 5 minutes.
• Put Silpat or Exopat pad on a baking sheet. Shake off excess liquid from fennel slices and arrange on pad in 1 layer (don't let slices touch). Bake in middle of oven 1 hour, or until dry and crisp. Working quickly, carefully peel chips off liner and transfer to a rack to cool. Top soup with chips.
• *Available at bakeware shops and by mail order from Bridge Kitchenware, (800) 274-3435 or (212) 838-1901

Steps:

• Toss shrimp with ginger in a bowl and marinate, chilled, 30 minutes (do not marinate any longer or enzymes from ginger will begin to cook shrimp).
• Make soup while shrimp marinate:
• Cook shallot, garlic, and anise in butter in a 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring, until shallot is softened, about 5 minutes. Add squash, stock, and water and simmer, uncovered, until squash is very tender, about 20 minutes. Remove star anise.
• Purée soup in 2 batches in a blender (use caution when blending hot liquids) until very smooth, about 1 minute per batch, then transfer to cleaned pan and keep warm, covered.
• Sprinkle marinated shrimp with salt. Heat oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté shrimp in 2 batches, stirring, until just cooked through, about 3 minutes per batch, transferring to paper towels.
• Bring soup to a simmer and season with salt and pepper. Divide among 8 shallow soup bowls and mound 3 shrimp in each bowl.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Combine butternut squash, fennel, onion, and garlic on the baking sheet. Drizzle with oil and salt and toss until well combined.
• Roast vegetables in the preheated oven until soft and lightly browned, 35 to 40 minutes.
• Puree 1/2 of the vegetable mixture in a blender with 1/2 of the broth until smooth. Pour mixture into a large saucepan set over low heat. Puree the rest of the vegetables and broth; add to the saucepan.
• Stir in marmalade and pumpkin and heat through over low heat. Stir in cream before serving. Season with salt and pepper.