Spicy Tomato and Bacon Bone Soup

Put the bacon hock in a large stockpot (at least 6L size) with the tomatoes, soup legumes and water and begin to heat.

Meanwhile, use a food processor to chop the celery and the (peeled) onion, carrots and swede until they’re fairly small (about 5mm diameter). Or, if you like them chunky, chop them yourself using a knife. Add them to the pot.

Add the chicken bouillon powder, garlic, ginger, chili powder, paprika, oregano, basil and coriander. Stir well! Once the soup has come to a boil, reduce heat to a fairly enthusiastic simmer and simmer for 90 minutes.

Once the soup has simmered for 90 minutes, remove the hock and cut the skin off along with any fat. Discard the fat. Pull the meat off the bone and shred it. Return the meat to the soup. Discard the bone. Note: If using boiling bacon, just shred the meat because the fat should be minimal.

Add the alphabet pasta and simmer for another 30 minutes. Serve!

Notes: Parsnips can be used in place of a swede. Two or three ought to do the trick. Regarding soup legumes, I use a mixture of split peas, red lentils and barley. Anything along these lines will work fine!