Smoked Tomato & Shrimp Soup

Ingredients

2 yellow onions

4 tomatoes

1/3 lb. chopped bacon

1/4 c chopped garlic

3 c canned Italian plum tomatoes

3 c tomato puree*

1/4 c tomato paste

2 canned chipolte in adobo

1 1/2 qt. chicken stock

1/4 c sugar

2 c heavy cream

salt

ground black pepper

1 lb. 70-90 count shrimp, steamed**

1 c chopped parsley

*(you can substitute sauce)

Method

Sprinkle a smoker with soaked hickory chips and pre heat. If you do not have a smoker, you can easily pick up a stove top type at your favorite cookery store, or using your grill, heat one side only and place your wood chips& pre heat. Your ingredients will be placed on the non-lit side. Cut the onions in half and place them with whole tomatoes on the rack or grill and smoke over low heat for 30 minutes. Allow to cool and chop.

Saute the bacon in a heavy soup pot. Add the onions, tomato and garlicand cook for 15 minutes. Add the plum tomatoes, tomato puree, tomato paste, chipoltes, chicken stock and sugar and blend well. Simmer for 20 minutes and remove from heat.

Using a blender, an immersion blender or a food processor, blend ingredients until smooth. Slowly add the cream until fully incorporated. Salt and pepper to taste, return to the soup pot and heat to serving temperature.

To Plate

When ready to serve, ladel soup into a bowl, place a shrimp in the center of the dish and  garnish with parsley or chopped chive stems. Enjoy!

** Note: For such a versitile soup you can substitute any seafood of your choice.