Adapted from Food & Wine by Red Stick Spice customer Betsy Williams
Customer Betsy Williams gave us this delicious tomato soup recipe. The layers of flavor are intriguing—candied bacon, two types of paprika, orange zest—wow. There are some key steps here that shouldn’t be skipped. The candied bacon is amazing…saving it for garnish later was the hardest part. Also, be sure to brown the tomato paste…this will add to the depth of the tomato flavor.
Candied Bacon Ingredients:
8 slices thick-cut bacon
1 tsp Red Stick Spice Applewood Smoked Sea Salt
2 Tbl brown sugar
1 tsp Red Stick Spice Maple Extract
Soup Ingredients:
2 Tbl unsalted butter
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 ½ Tbl tomato paste
3 Tbl granulated sugar
2 tsp Red Stick Spice Sweet Smoked Paprika
1 tsp Red Stick Spice Hot Smoked Paprika
1 tsp grated orange zest
1 Tbl Kosher salt
¼ tsp black pepper
½ cup dry Rose’ wine
Two 15-oz cans fire roasted canned tomatoes
2 cups water
¼ cup orange juice
3 Tbl sour cream
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment or foil. Arrange the bacon on the pan. Sprinkle with Applewood Smoked Salt. Combine the brown sugar and extract. Spread an even layer on the bacon. Bake for 8 minutes, until glazed; cool.
2. In a large, heavy bottomed pot, melt the butter and olive oil. Add the onion and cook over medium heat until softened. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, until darkened. Stir in the granulated sugar, paprikas, orange zest, salt and black pepper. Cook for 30 seconds. Add the wine and bring to a boil. Add the canned tomatoes with their juices. Bring to a simmer then remove from heat.
3. Stir the water, orange juice and sour cream into the pot. Working in batches, puree the soup until smooth. In a blender, take care to cover the blender with a dishtowel; the cover will pop off from the steam building inside. An alternative would be to use a stick (immersion) blender directly in the pot.
4. Reheat the soup and garnish with pieces of candied bacon on top. The soup can also be served chilled.