Recipe - Beet And Fennel Soup

5 md Beets
2 tablespoon Vegetable oil
2 lg Onions; cut or sliced up
One fourth teaspoon Fennel seeds
3 Fennel bulbs; (sometimes
called
; anise), cut or sliced up thin
; (about
One half Cups); reserving leaves
; for garnish
One fourth cup Water
3 cup Lowsalt chicken broth
2 tablespoon Fresh orange juice
One fourth cup Gilka; (German caraway seed
; liqueur) if desired
Accompaniment: pumpernickel
and rye bread
; sticks

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Trim beets, leaving 1inch of stems attached, and scrub well. Wrap
beets tightly in foil and roast in middle of oven until tender, about
1 One half hours. Unwrap beets carefully and let stand until cool enough
to handle. Peel beets. Cut half of 1 beet into 1 inch long match
sticks for garnish and chop remaining beets.

In a large heavy saucepan heat oil over moderate heat until hot but
not smoking and cook onions with fennel seeds, stirring, until
softened, about 15 minutes. Add cut or sliced up fennel and water and cook,
covered, stirring occasionally, until fennel is very soft, 15 to 20
minutes. Stir in chopped beets and broth and simmer, uncovered, 15
minutes. In a blender puree soup in batches, transferring it as
pureed to another saucepan. Soup may be prepared up to this point 2
days ahead and chilled, covered. Reheat soup until hot, thinning with
water if necessary. Stir in orange juice, liqueur if using, and salt
and pepper to taste.

Garnish soup with beet match sticks and fennel leaves and serve with
bread sticks.

Yield: 6