Irish Bleu Cheese & Tomato Soup

Recipe courtesy of the Soup Chick

Ingredients

• 8 large ripe plum tomatoes, cut in half and seeds removed
• Olive oil
• 6 oz. bacon
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 large celery stalk, chopped
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 5 cups chicken stock, heated
• 10 oz. mild blue cheese
• 2/3 cup organic half-and-half
• Fresh black pepper, to taste
• Chopped parsley, for garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Rub a bit of olive oil on your hands and coat each tomato halves. Place them on a rimmed baking sheet and roast in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and chop the tomatoes roughly in a food processor.
2. In the bottom or your soup pot, cook the bacon over low heat until it’s as crispy as you like. Remove the bacon onto a plate covered with a paper towel. Set aside.
3. Over low heat, add the butter into the pot, along with the onion, celery and carrots. Cook stirring occasionally for 1-2 minutes until the onions are translucent. Stir in the flour and mix well until it’s completely incorporated with the butter in the pot. Pour in the heated chicken stock and stir until the stock thickens slightly.
4. Crumble the cheese into the pot and add the chopped tomatoes. Bring the soup to a boil, stirring to help melt the cheese. Remove the pot from the heat and use an immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth.
5. Return the pot to the heat over low and cook until hot but not yet at a simmer.
6. Roughly chop the bacon. Serve in individual soup bowls, topped with bacon, a sprinkle of black pepper, and chopped parsley.