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Moorish Gazpacho

This cold soup soup is redolent of the Casbah--vivifying after any hot and dusty enterprise; serve chilled to 6 people. Also good served hot.

2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup leek or green onion, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, with leaves, finely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped--reserving 1" thick piece from bottom
2 garlic clove, finely chopped
1/2-1 cup parsley and cilantro, chopped fine
1/2 teaspoon fennel seed, slightly crushed
1/2 teaspoon sugar
4 cups vegetable or fish stock
1/8 teaspoon saffron, heated til brittle--or 1/4 teaspoon tumeric
1 28-oz. can tomatoes, peeled, with juice
2 Tablespoon white vinegar
salt
Garnish: cut lengthwise notches out of the reserved raw carrot piece to make a flower petal shape, then cut paper thin slices.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium low heat, then saute leek, celery, carrot, and garlic until they are very tender--about 12 minutes. Mix in the parsley and cilantro, the fennel seed and sugar, then stir in the stock. When hot, crush the brittle saffron (or tumeric) into the soup. Cook at a medium boil for 15 minutes.

Puree soup solids with the tomatoes. Add tomato juice and stock. Stir in vinegar and salt and either serve or refrigerate until cold.

When ready to serve, ladle into bowls and toss on the sliced carrot petals for garnish.