Instructions: Rinse fennel. Trim and discard stems and bruised portions. Chop fennel heads. (Chop feathery green fennel leaves to sprinkle onto servings.)

In a 4- to 5-quart pan over medium-high heat, frequently stir fennel, onions, and butter until vegetables are golden, about 25 minutes.

Add potatoes and broth. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until potatoes mash easily when pressed, about 20 minutes.

In a blender, whirl soup mixture, a portion at a time, until smoothly pureed. Return to pan. Add half-and-half, and liqueur to taste. Stir over medium-high heat until hot, about 3 minutes.

Ladle into bowls and season to taste with salt and pepper.

This recipe yields 8 cups; 5 or 6 main-dish servings.

Comments: As owners of Fly Fishers Inn near Great Falls, Montana, Rick and Lynne Pasquale know how to warm up guests who come here for world-class fly-fishing. Their secret is soup. At the lodge, they pack a thermos of hot soup into the kits of anglers, to provide a warming lunch during a day wading the chilly waters of the Missouri River. Then back at the log cabin lodge, dinner begins with more hot soup.

Lynne takes pride in producing hearty soups that dont echo the meat-and-potatoes reputation of this part of Montana, such as faintly licorice-flavor fennel, double mushroom with wild rice, and sweet pea with tarragon, curried apple, and caramelized onion and shallot.

To serve one of these soups as an elegant starter, offer about 3/4-cup portions. For a main-course serving, allow about 1 1/2 cups of soup with a light companion such as grilled shrimp or a toasted cheese sandwich. See also; "Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup," "Tarragon Pea Soup," "Senegalese Apple Soup" and "Caramelized Onion and Shallot Cream Soup."

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