This is one of best soups made at school.  It's terrific for mussels too.

See stovetop smoker required for this recipe.

Yield:  8 servings
See Abbreviations, if needed
•   10        tomatoes 
•    1T       butter
•    1         medium sized onion, diced
•    2         leeks, diced
•    2         garlic cloves pureed
•               BG and S/P
•    3T       rice
•    1 qt      chicken stock or chicken broth
•    2T       balsamic vinegar 
•    2 oz      cream

1.  Half tomatoes, place cut side up on smoker rack and smoke with maple or cherry chips  for about 15 minutes
2.  Remove from smoker, capture juice and, when cool, peel off skins
2.  In a soup pot, sauté onions and leeks in butter over medium heat to translucence
3.  Cut smoked tomatoes into chunks and add to pot
     ·   add stock (if using canned chicken stock, do not add salt to the pot)
     ·   add BG and rice
4.  BTB and simmer until tomatoes are soft and fully cooked, about 40 minutes
5.  Puree soup in the pot to desired thickness with a stick blender
6.  Adjust seasoning
     ·  add balsamic vinegar for coloring
     ·  add some cream to finish just before serving 
7.  Serve hot
Note:  The white square in the photo is the BG sachet (to be removed before using the stick blender)
           This soup serves wonderfully with mussels. 

    1.  Use a large enough pot to make the sauce and hold the mussels
    2.  Use fewer smoked tomatoes, about 6
    3.  Make the soup sauce thick by using less chicken stock
    4.  Cook 15 to 20 mussels per serving (or about 1 Lb of mussels per serving) 
    5.  Do not add cream to the finished sauce
    6.  Add mussels to the sauce in the pot 
    7.  Cover, BTB, and steam mussels until they open, about 3 -4 minutes