Alex's Recipes

Creamy Radish & Bacon Soup

• 1 bunch Radishes (roughly chopped – about 3 cups)
• 1 medium Onion, diced
• 1/3 cup Bacon, diced
• 1 cup Water
• Hot Pepper Paste
• Mustard
• 1 cup Cream
• Salt, Pepper, Dill

Cook the radish, onion and bacon over a low heat covered stirring occasionally the hot pepper paste until the onion and radish are slightly sort. Add the water and boil for a few minutes. Put the mixture through a blender. Add the cream, salt, pepper, dill and mustard. Reheat.

Just before serving skim off the bacon grease floating on the top.

(Serves 2 or 1 as a meal).

Tomato & Walnut Soup

• 1 Shallot
• 1 fresh Hot Pepper
• 6 small Plum Tomatoes
• 1 cup Soup Stock (or 1 cup water and a boullion cube)
• 12 Whole Walnuts
• 1/2 cup Cream
• 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
• 2 teaspoons dried Basil
• Salt/Pepper

Dice the shallot and the hot pepper (make sure you seed the pepper carefully or the soup will be very spicy). Soften the shallot and pepper in the olive oil. Roughly chop the tomatoes and add them to the pot. Stir in the stock, the basil, salt and pepper, and bring to a boil.

Blanche the walnuts (immerse them in boiling water for one minute), then grind them roughly with a mortar and pestle. Add the cream to the walnuts.

Stir the cream and walnut mixture into the soup, bring back to a boil then simmer until the nuts are soft.

Put the whole mixture through a food mill twice and serve.

(Serves 4)

Tomato, Leek & Bacon Soup

This recipe uses a food mill to puree the soup. If you don't have one, peel the tomatoes first.

• 1/2 a Leek
• 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
• 4 small Tomatoes
• 1/2 cup Sour Cream
• 1.5 cups Water
• 4 pieces Bacon
• Salt, Pepper, Bazil, Hot Sauce (all to taste)

Dice and wash the leeks and soften them in the olive oil over a medium heat with the salt, pepper, bazil and hot sauce.

Add the tomatoes (quartered) using just enough water to barely cover them. Bring to a boil and then simmer until the tomatoes are soft.

Cook the bacon until crumbly, pouring about 1 tablespoon of bacon drippings into the soup.

When the tomatoes crush easily with a spoon, put the soup through a food mill twice (or puree the soup in the blender - remember to peel the tomatoes first!).

Whisk in the sour cream and bring the soup up to temberature. Add the bacon bits and serve immediately (serves 4).