Symon Sundays: Spicy Tomato and Blue Cheese Soup & Shaved Fennel Salad with Oranges, Lemon, Dill and Watercress

This week's Symon Sundays selections were the ones I chose. When I first got the cookbook and began going through it, I kept going back to the same soup recipe. A spicy tomato soup with blue cheese- it just sounded like something I'd love, and Sage thought it looked delicious too. Although there were many different types of dishes I know I would've enjoyed, I really wanted to pair it with a salad. Most of the ones in the book were very summery, and I wanted to pick one with more seasonal ingredients. I decided on a shaved fennel salad with oranges, lemon, dill and watercress, which seemed fun since we've never had raw fennel before and love trying new things, as well the fact I'd be able to use oranges from our tree.

The soup was every bit as amazing as I'd hoped for. It was a little spicy for Sage, but he still really enjoyed it. It was a cinch to make, and just perfect on a rainy day. I wasn't sure how we'd like the salad, but we very much did. We learned we liked fennel. Good to know. My only big complaint about the recipe as written was that there was way too much juice from the oranges. I used the juices from all three, but one would've been plenty, so I've reflected that below. I also think we would've prefered this with arugula over the watercress.

Spicy Tomato and Blue Cheese Soup
from Live to Cook, Michael Symon

2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
kosher salt
4 garlic cloves, sliced
1 (28 oz.) can of Marzano tomatoes, with juice
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
3/4 cup heavy cream (I used half & half)
2 tbsp sriracha sauce
1 tbsp fresh oregano leaves
1/2 cup Roth Kase Buttermilk Blue Cheese

Heat the oil in a 4 qt. saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and a three finger pinch of salt. Sweat for 2 minutes. Add garlic and sweat for 2 more minutes.

Add tomatoes, their juices and stock. Bring to a simmer. Stir in cream, sriracha sauce and oregano and simmer for 45 minutes.

Pour soup into blender, add blue cheese and blend until smooth, working in batches if needed. Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a clean pot, taste, adjust seasonings if needed and reheat to serve. (I blended mine right in the pot with a submersion blender and skipped straining it.)

This soup will keep, covered in the refrigerator, for a few days. (Although it isn't likely you'll have it around that long.)



Shaved Fennel Salad with Oranges, Lemon, Dill and Watercress
adapted from Live to Cook, Michael Symon

3 oranges
1 garlic clove, minced
1 shallot, thinly sliced, soaked in cold water for 10 minutes and drained
1/4 tsp kosher salt
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 small or 1 large fennel bulb, core removed and shaved (with a mandolin)
1 tbsp coarsley chopped fennel fronds
2 tbsp coarsely chopped fresh dill
freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp ground corriander
2 tbsp extra-vigin olive oil
1 cup loosely packed watercress or arugula

Grate zest of the one of the oranges and reserve. Segment all three oranges, by removing peel and pith with a knife and slicing through fruit along either side of the membrane to remove only the fruit sections. Once segments are removed, squeeze remaining juice from one of the oranges and reserve.

In a large bowl, combine the garlic, shallot, salt, lemon and orange juices and zests. Wisk to combine. Add the shaved fennel, fennel fronds and dill, tossing juice. Add the orange segments, a few grinds of pepper, the corriander, olive oil, and watercress. Toss gently and plate, spooning additional dressing over top.