In your soup pot, combine the water, the greens of the leeks and the fennel bulbs (be sure to keep the white parts of each reserved) and your celery. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes. While this is happening, you can prep your veggies listed below. When the time is up for the broth, strain off your veggies, discard them as they’ve given their life, and reserve your vegetable broth.

In a heavy (non-teflon) skillet, saute the whites of the leek for about 1 minute, stirring to coat them in the oil. Then, place a cover over your skillet and let the leeks steam and soften for about 2 minutes.

Now add the white slices of the fennel bulb, your celery pieces, and your diced Yukon gold potato to the skillet and stir to coat with the oil. Add just a touch more oil if needed to coat and seal your veggies.

As they soften, add your thyme. If you have fresh, use a generous 2 or more teaspoons. If you don’t have fresh, add dried thyme which is more concentrated so add 1-2 teaspoons.

Once your sliced and chopped veggie/thyme mix has softened, add it to your broth when it is ready.

Bring your broth and veggies to a gentle boil for about 30 minutes. Then, very very carefully, puree it in batches in your blender. I say very very carefully because pureeing hot items can be hazardous to your health. Be sure to have the blender on the absolute lowest speed, and slowly work up. I always cover the blender with a doubled-over hand towel just in case the pressure were to build and blow the lid off.

Once pureed, adjust the salt if needed and then enjoy with a beautiful salad like we did!