BLT Soup

One afternoon last summer, I had this insatiable hankering for a BLT. Granted, I could have simply cooked up some bacon for the entire family to enjoy the delectable sandwiches, my mom was already planning on picking up Subway sandwiches for all of us. Thankfully, while I worked at WRBC and Rock Rabbit, I had mastered the art of making a soup that tasted, oddly enough, exactly like the sandwich. So, that evening, I was able to eat soup and enjoy BLTs all at the same time.

10 slices of bacon
4 Tbsp. butter
7 cups julienned lettuce
2 cups flour
7 cups hot water
2 Tbsp. chicken base
1-1/2 cups tomatoes, chopped
2 pinches nutmeg
2 pinches cayenne pepper
2 cups hot half-and-half

In a Dutch oven, cook bacon over medium heat until lightly browned. Remove bacon and reserve drippings. To the drippings, add butter and heat until melted. Stir in lettuce and sauté for two minutes. Whisk in flour, stirring until well-blended and evenly cooked … about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat. Add the hot water, chicken base, tomatoes, nutmeg and cayenne. Heat to boiling, stirring frequently. Reduce heat and boil six minutes, stirring occasionally until thickened. Add half-and-half and mix well. Heat to simmering, stirring frequently. Chop up and add bacon and mix (can also be used as garnish).