My effort to discover new ways to feed fresh tomatoes to my husband continues!
This week, it's my first attempt at Tomato soup from scratch! I sweetened the deal by pairing it with fat slabs of peppered bacon on garlic cheese ciabatta bread. On the side, some sweet pucks of fried yellow straightneck squash in panko crumbs.
I fried up the bacon first, so that I could saute the soup ingredients in its fat.
All of these cherry tomatoes and Cherokee purples came from my garden and went into the soup!
Those Cherokee purples are gorgeous inside!
First thing into the bacon grease is some minced Mayan onion. Next, some tender heart of celery. Then, in goes the bowl of ruby tomato flesh along with a cup of chicken broth. As that simmers and reduces, I added fresh rosemary, oregano, and thyme. 
Meanwhile, I made garlic cheese toast with some ciabatta buns.
There is a constant supply of tender yellow squash coming from the garden, so I sliced some up and staged a production line for frying.
First a dip in some fresh laid eggs, then a tumble in seasoned flour and panko crumbs, then a dive into the boiling vegetable oil!
Here is the meal fully assembled, with a generous dollop of crema on top!
When I was a child, grilled cheese and Campbells tomato soup was my mother's go to meal for tired, broke nights. I never felt poor eating this combination--all I felt was my mother's unconditional love. Making this dish from scratch with a lot of stuff I grew myself felt like paying that love forward to my husband and son. It was very different in flavor and texture compared to Campbells in a can! @Mattlovell said it was a bit to far on the acid side, and recommended adding a little sugar. Stirring in the crema brought out more of a bisque versus a gazpacho feel.
Bon Appetit! And happy #FoodFightFriday!