Ah Paradise to eat Hungarian Tomato Soup. The tomato once feared as being poisonous, was also called the Paradice Appfel or Apple of Paradise. When my Grandmother came to this country from Austria-Hungary, she brought not only flower seeds, Poppies included, but all kinds of old-world tomato seeds. Hungarian heart shaped tomatos, heavy, sweet and succulent. It was a yearly ritual in late summer to can and bottle all those wonderful ripe tomatos the garden produced. All winter long we children would be sent down to the preserves cellar to bring up jars of tomatos, peppers, pickles, dilled squash, plums, peaches, beets, jams and jellies. Alas, I no longer have a garden so I must rely on store bought cans of tomatos.

Hungarian Pancakes, (Palacsinta) were always served after the soup course. Thin crepes, slathered with strawberry jam, rolled up and sprinkled with powdered sugar. This was a complete meal, good for a Saturday noon, or Sunday night. Ah Paradise!

Regards, June Meyer.

• 1/2 lb. good bacon, sliced and cut in small pieces
• 1 large onion, minced
• 1 large can of crushed of pureed tomato 32 oz. size
• 1 can of water
• 1/2 cup of celery, minced
• 1 Tbls. sugar
• a few peppercorns and salt to taste

Saute bacon in a soup pot, and drain off bacon fat.
Saute minced onion and celery with bacon bits in pot till transparent.
Add the can of tomatos and add one can of water.
Add 1 Tbls. sugar, and peppercorns.
Bring soup pot to low boil, and lower heat to simmer and let simmer about 45 min. or 1hour.
Soup can contain broad noodles, or rice. Precook these and add before serving.

Serves 4 to 6.