Fennel, olives, rosemary, and orange zest are four Provençal ingredients with punch in this Tomato Soup with Fennel. They may be used alone or combined, frequently with tomatoes.
From Bittman’s How to Cook Everything Fast Revised Edition: A Quick & Easy Cookbook
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for garnish
1 large onion
2 cloves garlic
Salt and pepper
2 medium fennel bulbs (1 pound)
2/3 cup any olives
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 orange
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 large (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
4 cups vegetable or chicken stock or water
INSTRUCTIONS
Put 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot over low heat.
Trim, peel, and chop the onion; add to the pot.
Peel and mince 2 cloves garlic; add to the pot. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
When the onion and garlic start to sizzle, raise the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften and color, 5 to 10 minutes.
Trim and chop the fennel bulbs, saving a few of the fronds for garnish.
Add the fennel to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally until the fennel begins to soften, 3 to 5 minutes.
Pit 2/3 cup olives if necessary; chop them up a bit.
Strip the leaves from 2 rosemary sprigs, and chop.
Grate 1 tablespoon zest from the orange; squeeze the juice into a small bowl through a strainer or your fingers to capture the seeds; then add the zest.
Add 1 tablespoon tomato paste to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally until it darkens slightly, a minute or two.
Add the olives, rosemary, and orange juice and zest and cook, stirring until fragrant, less than a minute.
Add the tomatoes and their juice and scrape any browned bits off the bottom of the pot. Add 4 cups stock or water and raise the heat to high.
When the soup comes to a boil, adjust the heat so it bubbles gently but steadily and cook, stirring once in a while until the tomatoes break down, 5 to 10 minutes.
Chop the reserved fennel fronds.
Taste and adjust the seasoning. To serve, drizzle with more olive oil and garnish with the fennel fronds.
