Thanks!

So dinner last night was lovely!

We ate and talked and bitched and laughed and cried. It was relaxed picky bits of food, nothing special but the soup was delicious (see recipe below!) and the profiteroles, well, when is a profiterole ever bad? Right?

Simon hid in the living room all night long watching golf on the telly. Actually how is it that no matter the hour, day, month, year he can always find golf on the telly? Is that an answerable question?

But I digress, today and yesterday, I am and was truly grateful for my friends!

Jo's Tomato, Rice and Bacon soup

Not an exact science, this soup changes a little bit each time I make it. Depending on the saucepan size, the people who will eat it (if Ruth hadn't have been coming I'd have put a bit of chilli in) and the quality (sometimes they're helped by a pinch of sugar, or by roasting them first) or amount of tomatoes that are in the fridge on any give day!

1 pack cubed pancetta
1 tbsp olive oil
2 medium-ish onions, sliced
3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped a bit
2 lbs tomatoes, halved
1 litre vegetable stock, I use Marigold Bouillon myself
2 squirts of sun dried tomato puree
2 handfuls of long grain rice, my hands are, well, shall we go so far as to say, they're not ladylike and dainty
S & P

1. Fry the pancetta in a non-stick pan until golden brown. Drain, leaving the fat in the pan and put to one side.
2. Add the olive oil, onions and garlic to the pan and cook until the onion are soft.
3. Add the chunks of tomato and the stock (the tomatoes should be covered in liquid). Cover, bring to the boil and then turn down and simmer gently for 10 minutes or so. Take the opportunity to enjoy a glass of fruity merlot whilst this is happening.
4. You now need to whiz this to a pulp. I use my trusty food processor ... but I can picture lots of little people doing this by foot, just like French peasants making wine in the Languedoc.
5. OK, now the fun. You need to sieve the seeds/skin etc out. I suggest you use the person you live with. Mine is 6' 2" and quite strong. He use a ladle in a sieve to great effect, squashing out every last drop of delicious soupiness! I took the opportunity to enjoy another glass of that fruity Merlot!
6. Finally, pour the soup back into your saucepan. Add the tomato puree, rice and pancetta, simmer for 20 minutes until the rice is cooked. Season with S & P to taste.
7. I served mine with olive croutons (made from Tesco's Finest olive bread) and some crème fraîche. I have been known to artfully tear some fresh basil in at the last possible moment.