'BOHNSCHARLSUPPE' GREEN BEAN SOUP

In Austria we like to eat hot sweet dishes for lunch, such as 'Kaiserschmarren' [literally translated as 'emperor's nonsense' or 'emperor's mess', but in culinary terms meaning a thick sweet pancake laced with rum-drunken raisins, and torn into bite-size pieces - yum!]. 'Grießschmarren' [more 'semolina-raisin nonsense' baked in the oven :-) ], 'Palatschinken' [thin, large pan cakes], 'Topfenknödel' [quark dumplings], or 'Obstknödel' [fruit dumplings], just to name a few. These would be preceded or followed by a soup. With a lot of 'Sweet-Tooths' in my family, this has always been a popular lunch combination at my parents' home. The soups can be 'Rindsuppe' [beef soup], with various garnishes, such as 'Leberknödel' [liver dumplings], 'Grießnockerl', [semolina dumplings), 'Fritatten' [thinly sliced 'Palatschinken'], 'Suppennudeln' [soup noodles] - oh the lovely  'Sternchensuppe' [soup with tiny star-shape noodles] or 'Buchstabensuppe' [alphabet noodle soup], that we were writing our names on the side of our plates with as girls - actually I still can't resist doing that now :-). Or the more hearty, thick varieties such as 'Gulaschsuppe' [Goulash soup], 'Gemuesesuppe' [vegetable soup], the list is long, hot and steamy. And of course, one of my favourites, the 'Bohnscharlsuppe' [bean soup]. 

ROASTED CURRIED FENNEL (FENNEL-HATERS PREPARE TO BE CONVERTED!)

Crunchy, slightly sweet and pungent, with a subtle hint of dill, anise or liquorice. With the latter not exactly one of my favourites, I never used to cook with fresh fennel, except for using fennel seeds in my regular SOURDOUGH BREAD, where they add fantastic flavour, be it ground in the crumb or as crunchy seeds in the crust. Until I discovered this recipe...

The combination of fennel, curry, and the additional spices is fantastic and overrides that pungent liquorice taste, creating a beautifully scented and tasty vegetable. And the fennel looks so beautiful with its blossom-like shape, making it a star on any dining table.