Bridal Shower Food : Tomato Soup

Ingredients

• 1lb tomatoes
• 2 pints stock
• 1 stick celery
• 1 onion
• 1 carrot
• 2 or 3 bacon rinds
• 1oz butter
• 1oz flour
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped basil
• Salt and pepper to season
• A pinch of sugar

Procedure

Begin by peeling and chopping the onion and peeling and slicing the carrot. Then wash and chop the celery into smallish pieces and wash and slice the tomatoes. Now melt the butter in a large pan and add the bacon rinds, the onion, the carrot and the celery. Stir so that the vegetables are coated with the butter, then stirring occasionally simmer very gently for a few minutes to allow the vegetables to soak-up the butter, but not to brown.

Now add the sliced tomatoes, stock, salt and pepper. Put the lid on the pan and bring to the boil, then simmer gently for approximately one hour, stirring occasionally. Next check that the vegetables are tender.

Then, over a basin, press the soup through a sieve, to extract the pips, the skins and the bacon rind. In a small basin mix the flour with a little water, to make a smooth paste and add this to the soup in the basin, add the chopped basil. Rinse-out the pan and then return the soup to the pan.

Stirring continuously bring the soup to the boil and then let the soup boil for three minutes. Taste to see if the soup needs a little more seasoning and add if needed, add the sugar, stir and serve.
If you feel the soup is too thin remove the soup from the heat, mix together a little more flour and water, add this to the soup, return the soup to the heat and re-boil.

If you think that the soup is too thick, remove the soup from the heat and add a little more stock, stir and reheat.