And the Sixth Day of Christmas

On the 6th Day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me Six Geese a Laying. The geese are laying eggs – new life, new creation. Just as the Lord created the world in six days.

There are those who will argue that it is impossible for the world to have been created in six days. To that, I say first, nothing is impossible to God. Secondly, He does not measure time in human terms. A day to the Lord could be but a moment or a thousand years or ten thousand moments. Six Days really isn’t the point of creation. Creation is the point of creation. God willed it and so it was. From nothing, He formed everything.

While some Christian religions insist that the only way to read Genesis 1 is that the world was created in six 24-hour days, and any other interpretation is blasphemy, that is not the teaching of the Catholic faith. This isn’t something the Church made up to align with secular thinking. The Church Fathers point to scripture.

A thousand years are but as yesterday to you They are like a single hour.
Psalms 90:4

But do not forget this, dear friends, that a day or a thousand years from now is like tomorrow to the Lord. 2 Peter 3:8

Catholics have always been free to interpret the Six Day Creations as a blink of an eye or millions of years – that we do not know nor does it matter precisely how long it took, but that God is our creator. And that Man was the last of His creations. We were created last to be His stewards. The care of this world has been entrusted to us, and we need to conduct ourselves accordingly. That is all we need to know about Creation.

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Today is also one of those delicious National Days. It’s National Bacon Day. Now I suppose we could have an amazing BLT and call it a day. However; on these cold winter days of late December, nothing is better than a bowl of soup. One of my favorites is BLT Soup. And just so you know, it’s not Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato Soup. Rather it’s Bacon Lardoons and Tomato Soup. This soup is kissed with pesto and finished with homemade Sourdough Croutons. Yum!

BLT Soup with Sourdough Croutons and Arugula Pesto
Sourdough Croutons
5 slices Sourdough Bread
1 tablespoon Butter
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
Sea Salt to taste
Black Pepper to taste

To Prepare the Croutons
Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Cut bread into cubes as desired and set aside. Melt butter and mix with the olive oil in a large bowl. Add the bread cubes, salt and pepper. Gently toss until the bread cubes are coated.

Spread bread cubes out on a rimmed baking sheet and place into the heated oven for 8 minutes or until golden brown. About mid-way through, give the pan a good shake and check the croutons.

Remove from the oven and set aside. Croutons can be made in advance. Place in an air-tight container and store until ready to use.

Arugula Pesto
1 tablespoon Pine Nuts, toasted
1/2 cup Arugula
1/2 cup Spinach
1/2 cup Olive Oil
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese
Kosher Salt to taste
White Pepper to taste

To Prepare Pesto
Lightly toast pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat for about 5 minutes, shaking pan often.

Combine the arugula, spinach, olive oil, cheese, nuts, salt and pepper in a blender or food processor. Puree until smooth. Set aside until ready to use.

The Soup
3/4 cup White Onion
2 Celery Ribs
2 medium Carrots
1 tablespoon Roasted Minced Garlic, from a jar
1 1/2 tablespoons Olive Oil
2 tablespoons Butter
1 can Petite Diced Tomatoes
4 cups Tomato Puree
2 cups Chicken Stock
1 tablespoon Tomato Paste, form a tube
Kosher Salt to taste
Black Pepper to taste

To Prepare the Soup
Finely mince the onion and celery ribs. Set aside. Peel and finely dice the carrots. Set aside.

In a large stockpot, heat the oil and butter until foaming over medium heat.  Add the vegetables to the stockpot and cook over medium heat until translucent.

Stir in the diced tomatoes, tomato puree and chicken stock. Bring just to the point of bubbling. Cover, lower to a simmer and let everything come together in the pot for an hour or more. The longer it simmers, the deeper the flavors.

Remove from the heat, season with salt and pepper to taste. Puree with a hand-held blender.

Bacon Lardoons
1/2 lb Bacon

To Make Bacon Lardoons
Dice the bacon into small pieces. Heat a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Cook the diced bacon until all the fat has been rendered off and the bacon is crisp.

Drain on paper towels and set aside until ready to use.

To serve, ladle the soup into bowl. Garnish with croutons, bacon and pesto.

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Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!