CSA Day Potato and Cabbage Soup

Tuesday is a day of transition for us. It's community supported agriculture (CSA) pickup day, which means a substantial influx of good, healthy vegetables. That's great, but it can be also daunting when there is still a good bit left from last week's pickup. We only have so much storage space, and don't want things going bad. So the goal here was to clear out the old veggies to make way for the new. I did use the fennel from this week's pickup, which added a nice flavor. In fact, I considered adding a bit of bacon to this, but I think it had plenty of taste with out it, thanks in part to the fennel I'd say. You could easily switch the chicken broth to vegetable or water, and make this a vegetarian option.

1 medium onion chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1 lg carrot, sliced
1 bulb fennel, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups chopped)
3 small potatoes, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups chopped)
2/3 tsp garlic powder
4 cups cabbage
1 bay leaf
1 cup chicken broth
4 cups water
dash of salt
pepper to taste
grated cheese for topping (optional)

Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the onion, saute over medium heat until it begins to soften. Stir in the following, one at a time, as you have them ready: carrot, fennel, potato and then cabbage. Add the garlic powder and a dash of salt.  Add the chicken broth and water along with the bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer (around a medium low setting). Simmer until the vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Will take about 30 minutes. The potatoes will be the slowest, so that is what to check for tenderness.

When the vegetables are done, puree with a handheld blender or a food processor, until you get to the desired consistency. I like to leave a few chunks of vegetable for texture, but that's just me. Add pepper to taste, and serve with grated cheddar cheese at the table.