Fava bean & fennel soup

Dried fava bean & fresh fennel soup with biscuits (not polenta, as the recipe calls for). Also I managed to cut off the fennel fronds - I put them in the freezer bag I keep for veg stock, so will add a touch more fennel to compensate. Notes later, after we eat. I'm thinking this may be too thick, and may make quite a bit of soup (may need to freeze some, in other words).

1 pound fava beans (or other beans)
2 quarts water or stock (I used our own vegetable stock)
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
salt to taste
2 fennel bulbs
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper or more, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Soak the fava beans overnight or use a quick-soak method (cover with 2 inches water, bring to a boil for one minute, remove from heat and let stand for an hour). Drain.

(If you're using unpeeled fava beans, peel them now.)

Put the fava beans into a large pot with 2 quarts of water, the fennel seeds, and salt to taste (about 1 teaspoon). Bring to a boil; reduce heat to very low and simmer, uncovered, until beans start to break down, about 1 to 2 hours. As they cook, mash them against the bottom and sides of the pot (or with a potato masher) to form a coarse puree. Keep cooking until beans are thick and porridge-like.

While the beans are cooking, prepare the fennel by removing the tops from the bulbs and chopping the feathery fronds. Measure out 2 tablespoons and set aside. Remove the thick outer layers from the bulbs and quarter. Cut out the tough core that begins in the middle of the bulb and extends to the bottom.

Slice the bulbs thinly and set aside.

Once the beans have broken down and become thick, add the fennel slices, 1 1/2 tablespoons of the chopped fronds, the red pepper flakes, and 3 cups of the remaining water. Cook uncovered until the fennel is tender, about 30 minutes, adding more water if it gets too thick. Add salt to taste.

About 15 minutes before the end of cooking, I added approximately 1/2 - 3/4 c of round (pea sized pasta (I found these in a middle Eastern shop, and find them to be a terrific addition to soups) .

Makes about 6 servings. Per serving (without pasta): 283 Calories (kcal); trace Total Fat; (0% calories from fat); 20g Protein; 47g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 72mg Sodium; 6g Fiber. Weight Watchers Core (or 5 Flex points).
Most of the recipe is taken from here, which is itself an adaptation from an Italian cookbook called Verdura.

I made a few changes but we both thought this soup was fantastic - subtle but hearty, full of flavor and texture. I did not add the additional liquid recommended, but will probably do so on reheating this.

We took a walk today, as we had yesterday - 51F right now, and another unbearably blue sky, slight cool breeze. Light from the creek playing on the underside of tree limbs, crystal chips in the macadam pathway shining, shadow stripes of trees across the path, the sound of distant traffic (soothing, a bit, but I would still like to not hear it), creek trickle sound, the sound of our feet.