Green Tomato Soup

2 lbs green tomatoes, chopped
2T extra virgin olive oil
2 oz thinly sliced ham, chopped (approx 1/2 cup)
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced green onion or 1 whole onion, sliced
1 T chopped garlic (2 cloves)
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped (optional)
1/2 bay leaf
1 cup low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
2 cups water
1/2 t salt
1/4 t freshly ground black pepper
sour cream for garnish

Heat oil in a 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat until hot but not smoking. Add the ham and cook, stirring occasionally, until crispy and golden. Using a slotted spoon remove the ham from the pan, place on a paper towel-lined plate and reserve. Add green onion, garlic, jalapeno pepper and bay leaf to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until green onions are tender and lightly browned, 6 to 8 minutes.

Add tomatoes, broth, water, salt and pepper and simmer, partially covered, until tomatoes are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Discard bay leaf and adjust seasoning. Using an immersion blender (or regular blender) puree the soup until smooth. Add the cooked ham and stir. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and some hot pepper sauce.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Notes:

One fall I ended up with lots of green tomatoes and nothing to do with them. I did a little research and found several recipes for green tomato soups. So, I cobbled this one together from the several that I found. You can substitute bacon, smoked turkey or kielbasa for the ham - one recipe insisted on black forest ham.