Beef Soup simmered in a Lemon Thyme & Fennel Broth with Cheddar Onion Drop Biscuits

I intended to make minestrone for dinner, but hadn't shopped accordingly. I love kale in minestrone, carrots, celery, cannelini. So I invented a soup using what we had on hand, which is how the best soups are made.

The house smells so good right now you could lick the air. The basis of the aromatic broth is lemon thyme and crushed fennel seeds. I happen to have lemon thyme growing in a pot on the porch. It's unlikely you'll find it in the grocery store, but regular thyme and a dash of lemon juice are a fair enough substitute. I also polished off the soup with a hearty squeeze of "lima dulce" or sweet lime, which we picked up at the farmers market last week. Another unlikely find at your local market, so freshly squeezed lime is fine.

Aromatic Beef Soup with Lemon Thyme and Fennel
Ingredients

• 2 c. cooked, cubed beef (leftover roast, for example)
• 1 med. red onion, chopped finely
• 3 fat cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1-2 T lemon thyme
• 1 T chopped fennel seed (not ground fennel seed)
• 2 T olive oil
• 5 cups broth (I use chicken broth)
• 1 c. uncooked rice (my choice: short grain brown rice)
• 1 c. frozen or fresh green peas
• optional: 1-2 T lemon and/or lime zest

Directions

1. Saute the onion and mushrooms in the olive oil. Add the garlic and fennel seed after two minutes.
2. When the garlic has softened, add the broth, thyme and beef.
3. Simmer on a low heat for about 20 minutes, allowing the herbs to infuse the beef.
4. Add the rice. Continue to simmer until the rice is tender.
5. Add the peas. Cook only until they are tender, maybe one or two minutes more.
6. Serve with a fat wedge of sweet lime.

Cheddar Onion Drop Biscuits
Ingredients

• 2 c. flour
• 1 T. baking powder
• 1/2 t. baking soda
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1 t. sugar (optional)
• 6 T. butter
• 1 c. plus 2 T. dairy (whatever you have on hand: milk/cream/buttermilk)
• 1 cup finely shredded cheddar or cheddar blend
• 1-2 scallions or small bunch of chives, sliced finely

Directions

1. Preheat the oven at 400 degrees.
2. Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt.
3. Add the butter, cubed, and using a pastry cutter, blend it into the flour.
4. Add the scallions, milk and cheese. Mix only until blended.
5. You can spoon the batter onto a buttered cookie sheet or shape 6 chubby patties by hand.
6. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the tops are browned.