Recipe - Tomato Gorgonzola Soup

Here's the soup recipe that won rave reviews when we took it to the Wendlings' house for dinner last night. I wish I could give credit to the author, but I photocopied it out of a cookbook and there's no title information on the page. Sorry!

Oh, and we used Feta cheese because I was too cheap to spring for Gorgonzola.

Tomato Gorgonzola Soup (serves 6)

1/2 pound bacon, chopped
1 cup onion, diced
1/2 cup celery, diced
1 tablespoon butter
2 1/2 cups canned plum tomatoes, chopped
2 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup white wine
1 cup V-8 juice
1/2 cup tomato paste
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon thyme
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup fresh basil

slurry: 1/4 cup flour and 1/2 cup cold water.

1. In a large pot, saute the bacon, onions and celery in the butter until they are tender. Drain off the fat.
2. Add all of the remaining ingredients EXCEPT the slurry, Gorgonzola and basil. Simmer for approximately 45 minutes.
3. Make the slurry with flour and water, whisking the flour slowly into the water. Be sure the slurry has no lumps.
4. Add the slurry to the soup and use a whisk to mix it as it thickens.
5. Simmer for 15 more minutes, or until the flour taste is gone.
6. Add the crumbled Gorgonzola cheese and fresh basil.