Pureed Winter Vegetable Soup - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
16 ounces carrots, sliced (one bag)
1 small fennel bulb, trimmed and diced
2 (14 1/2 ounce) cans low sodium chicken broth or (14 1/2 ounce) cans vegetable broth
1/4 teaspoon salt (to taste)
1/4 teaspoon fresh coarse ground black pepper
1 lb potato, peeled and cut into quarters (3 medium)
3 cups water
1/2 cup half-and-half (optional) or 1/2 cup light cream (optional)
dill sprigs (to garnish)

Preparation

Heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook 10 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally.
Stir in carrots, fennel, broth, salt, pepper and 3 cups of water. Heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 10 minutes.
Add potatoes and simmer 20 minutes longer or until all the vegetables are very tender.
Puree in blender, food processor or using an immersion blender.
Return mixture to pan and add half and half, if desired.
Garnish each serving with a dill sprig.