Feeling Nostalgic

I like trying new recipes, but there are times when I crave a dish from my past.  The trigger to making Bacon and Tomato Soup was seeing large, luscious-looking tomatoes at the grocery store.  They reminded me of my childhood, when a tomato tasted like a tomato.  I bought some and sliced them up as a side dish.  They were so good that Bart and I ate them all in one sitting.

That meant I had to use canned tomatoes for Bacon and Tomato Soup.  Luckily I keep a few cans of tomatoes around.  I had bacon in the freezer and a carton of whole milk in the fridge.

I’m surprised to admit this, but the soup tasted even better than I remembered.  I’m going to dig through my memory bank and find some of my other old favorites.

Bacon and Tomato Soup - serves 4 (adapted from “Help! My Apartment Has a Kitchen”) 

4 slices bacon
1 small onion
2 tablespoons flour
1 15-ounce can ready-cut tomatoes
Dash ground black pepper
Dash salt
2 cups whole milk 

Cook the bacon in a medium-size pot over medium-high heat.  When the bacon is crisp, about 10 minutes, remove and drain on a paper towel.  Pour half the bacon fat left in the pot into an empty can and discard it.  Leave the remainder in the pot and set aside. 

Peel the onion and chop it into 1/2-inch pieces.  Begin reheating the remaining bacon fat over medium heat.  Add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it begins to soften.  Add the flour and stir until absorbed. 

Add the tomatoes and their liquid, black pepper and salt and bring the mixture to a boil over high heat.  Turn down the heat to medium and cook, uncovered, for 2 minutes.  Stir occasionally.  The mixture will begin to thicken.  Add the milk and heat until the soup is hot but not boiling.  Cut or break the cooked bacon into bite-size pieces and drop into the soup.  Serve.

                      For easy recipes, order "Help! My Apartment Has a Kitchen!"