Chilled Beet-And-Fennel Soup

The 2005 RecipeZaar World Tour has me in search of new recipes from regions around the world. This is an untried recipe from Cooking Light. I love the flavor that fennel introduces to any dish, including this elegant borscht. If you try it ahead of me, please let me know what you think.

• Ready In: 1 hr 5 mins
• Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 1  lb red beet (look for smaller ones)
• 2  teaspoons fennel seeds
• 1⁄4 cup water
• 1  tablespoon olive oil
• 1 3⁄4 cups  fresh fennel bulbs, sliced thin
• 1  cup  chopped onion
• 1  cup nonfat milk or 1  cup reduced-fat milk
• 1⁄2 cup plain nonfat yogurt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon pepper

Directions

1. Leave root and 1 inch of stem on beets; scrub with a brush. Place beets and fennel seeds in a medium saucepan; cover with water, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 35 minutes or until tender. Drain beets through a fine sieve into a bowl, reserving fennel seeds and 3 cups cooking liquid. Rinse beets under cold water; drain. Peel beets; cut into 1/2-inch cubes, reserving 3/4 cup for garnish. Combine remaining beets, reserved cooking liquid, and fennel seeds in a bowl; set aside.
2. Add oil to a medium non-stick pan and saute onions for two or three minutes. Add sliced fennel and 1/4 cup water and bring to a low boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for simmer 20 minutes or until fennel is tender.
3. Combine fennel bulb mixture, beet mixture, yogurt, milk, salt, and pepper in a food processor or blender; process until smooth. Pour soup into a bowl; cover and chill thoroughly. Ladle 3/4 cup soup into individual bowls, and top with 2 tablespoons reserved beets.