Roasted Tomato and Fennel SoupRecipe by Chef Heidi Fink

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 F on the convection setting (or 425 F on the regular bake setting).

Cut roma tomatoes into eight pieces each. Quarter the fennel bulb lengthwise and remove the core with a sharp paring knife. Cut the fennel into a medium-sized dice. Peel and cut the onion into pieces about the same size as the fennel. Peel the garlic cloves, but leave them whole.

Place the prepared vegetables into a large bowl. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Transfer to a baking sheet, spread out into an even layer (for lots of heat exposure) and place in the preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes, until the vegetables are tender, fragrant, and flecked with brown.

Carefully scrape the vegetables into a blender. Place the baking sheet down on a cooling rack. Pour the 250 ml (1 cup) of water into the pan and scrape up any goodness to dissolve in the water. Carefully pour this water into the blender with the vegetables. Add the chicken broth (start with three cups – you can add more after blending if the soup is too thick for your liking). Blend until completely smooth.