La Kitchenette Souris: Tomato Soup & Cheesy Breadsticks

Evening y'all! 

What a perfect light supper this is for a cold winter night! 

Here we have been experiencing something of a chinook, which has been absolutely amazing!
To go from -40s and -50s to +1 to +7 (Celcius) is awesome for those of us (mainly this rodent) who are always relentlessly cold! *shivers* 

This soup is solid & filling, and the breadsticks are very light. 

I made a few adjustments, as always, to make it more suitable for a Canadian/American cook.

Serve both warm & fresh.... put the soup in fancy bowls & that's about all you need!

Now, we did blend the soup in a regular blender. 

Allow me to say..... WOOOOOEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Big time mess, mama!!! Worked grand, but there is a definite trick to it and I highly suggest using a handheld blender, as the recipe says, if at all possible!

Or maybe even just settle for the chunks. HAHA! 

Tomato Soup

Chop 8 rashers (strips) of bacon into chunks and place in a hot pan with 2 peeled and finely chopped large onions.

Cook 4-5 minutes, until the onions have softened. (I browned mine a tad, just to ensure the bacon was thoroughly cooked!)

Add 800 grams (7 cups) tinned chopped tomatoes, a pinch of smoked paprika (optional, but adds great flavor), 800 ml (3 cups) beef stock, a good pinch each of sugar, sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper (always use freshly ground!), and a splash of apple cider vinegar. 

(I also tossed in some fresh, cut tomatoes for extra flavor)

Bring to a boil, then simmer on a gentle heat for 15-20 minutes. 

(You can cook it longer if you aren't sure its quite done)

Using a handheld blender, puree the soup until smooth.

Serve with chunks of cheddar cheese on top.

(I never put the cheese on but I am sure it would add a lovely flavor, so if you have cheddar cheese on hand, give it a go and let me know how that tastes!) 

♥

Cheesy Breadsticks

(I prefer using the "sheets" of rolled puff pastry~ works properly!
But in a pinch, you can use puff pastry that is in square "blocks" and just roll it out)

Cut 375 grams ready-rolled puff pastry in half, and roll each half out on a lightly floured surface into a strip about 24 cm long.

Brush them with 2 beaten egg yolks (I always find 1 egg is enough) mixed with a little water, sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of paprika and 75 grams (about 1/2 cup, but you can really just do as much or as little as you want) grated Cheddar cheese.

Cut the pastry into 2 cm wide strips with a sharp knife.

Bake on a lined baking sheet for 10-15 minutes at 375F or until lightly browned. 

Remove to racks to cool.

These can be frozen for up to 3 months in a sealed container. If cooking from frozen, add 3-5 minutes to the cooking time.