In a fit of semi-inspiration last week, I decided to try to make a BLT soup, and it turned out pretty nicely. So here's the recipe for anyone who's interested.
Ingredients
6 large plum tomatoes.
Large can of chopped tomatoes
Half an onion, finely chopped.
2 cloves garlic, minced.
6-8 slices streaky bacon, finely chopped.
Couple of slices of stale bread, chopped into rough cubes.
Handful of fresh, flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped.
A dash of ketchup.
Tablespoon or so of brown sugar.
Olive oil, salt and pepper.
In a large pot, fry the onion and garlic gently in some olive oil.
Bring some water to boil in another pot and quickly blanch the plum tomatoes until the skins slip off. Discard the skins, roughly chop the tomatoes and add them to the onion and garlic.
Cook the tomato mixture gently for a bit, then add the can of chopped tomatoes.
Fill the empty can with water, then add that to the pot too.
Bring the soup to a simmer and let it bubble away gently for a bit, while you heat up a frying pan nice and hot.
Using a hand blender, give the soup a few quick blasts until it's about 80% pureed. Leave a few bits and pieces in there for texture, though.
Fry the bacon in the hot pan until cooked and just crisp - streaky bacon is best because you'll get a lot of fat rendered off, and you'll need it.
Remove the bacon from the pan with a slotted spoon and add to the soup.
Add a dash of ketchup and tablespoon of brown sugar to the soup, which brings out the sweetness of the tomatoes nicely. Salt and pepper to taste.
Take your bread and fry in the bacon fat until golden brown all over. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to some kitchen roll for now.
To serve, put a ladleful of soup in a bowl, add a small handful of parsley (you could use cress, or simply shredded lettuce if you like, but I enjoyed the extra flavour that the parsley brought to the dish). Top with a generous handful of croutons and serve immediately.
You could also add a small spoonful of creme fraiche or sour cream as a topper too.