Fresh Tomato Soup

Messy to make but great to eat.

INGREDIENTS

INGREDIENTS

Slice or two of smoked streaky bacon\
2 lb. Fresh tomatoes with equal quantity of canned tomatoes with juice.
4 oz. Tomato paste
One medium sized Onion
I large Carrot
I stalk of Celery
2 Bay leaves
Couple of branched of thyme
½ head of Garlic
4 to pints of chicken broth or water
Olive oil for cooking.
Approximately half a cup of all-purpose flour
Salt and pepper
White sugar to taste
Slice the bacon into strips, cut the vegetables into small pieces. Chop the garlic vegetables roughly .

Strain the juice out of the canned tomatoes and keep the juice to add to the soup.
Heat the olive oil in a stockpot or large pot. Add the bacon and simmer until you get that smoky perfume. Add the vegetables to this and cook for a few minutes. Add the chopped garlic with the bay leaf. Allow to infuse until you have a rich garlic vegetable infusion.
Add the tomato and allow to cook for a few minutes. When done add a dash of white wine vinegar and cook out. Add the tomato paste. You should have a very messy tomato mix by now.
Add a handful of flour and stir. Cook for a few minutes. Add your stock and bring to a boil. If mix is too thick add more stock.
Cook the soup for an hour or so and then add some white sugar to taste. Strain the soup through a strainer. Correct the seasoning and you’re done. You can also add more garlic at this point.
You may need to do this a couple of times to get it right. Make notes as you are doing it so that you can review your methods and make any changes for next time.
You should end up with a delicious tomato soup with a slight back taste of smoky bacon.
Finish with cream when serving.

A couple of things you can add to this to give it an extra lift is: cumin seeds for a slight oriental flavor and sweet paprika for a little spice. You can also add jalapenos to the cooking process. I will usually add some small dried mild peppers, as I do to almost every soup I make.
Remember recipes are just guides. Don’t be slave to them. If you see a dish needs more of a certain item then go ahead and add it. Personal taste and preferences come well before the written recipe.
Any questions let me know.