Thursday, November 3, 2011

Roasted Eggplant Soup



From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This soup is a surprise, even to me. Local farm stands closed on Monday and folks fortunate enough to be in the markets at the close of business were gifted with produce that had not been sold. I ended up with four large eggplants that under normal circumstances would have never made it to my table. While we don't hate it, we aren't big eggplant people, so the question became what to do with the eggplant now I had it. I decided to use two of them to make a vegetable stew that I've been wanting to try, but I had to search for newer ways to use the two that still remained. I finally settled on this recipe which uses roasted eggplant and tomatoes to make a bisque-like cream soup that is perfect for a fall evening. I must admit I was really pleased. The soup is easy to make and it has a mild eggplant flavor that is really quite pleasant. Now I must be completely honest with you. I'll never wake up with a craving for this soup, but I'd make it again in a New York minute if I found myself with surplus eggplant. There is some chopping involved and time must be allocated to roast the vegetables, but save for that, the soup is effortless and worth the time it takes to make. I hope you'll try it. The recipe appears below the pictures that follow.

I also have some updated pictures of my grandsons to share with you today. They are growing way too fast as you can see.




Our orphans of the storm have been without power since last Friday. They'll get to celebrate Halloween this Saturday if all downed wires have been cleared.



Joshua on his first bicycle.



Conor with his first pumpkin.

Roasted Eggplant Soup...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Southernfood at About.Com

Ingredients:
2 medium eggplants, about 1 1/2 to 2 pounds
2 large tomatoes
1 medium onion, cut in 4 wedges
6 medium cloves garlic, peeled
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon dried leaf marjoram or basil
1 quart chicken broth
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 cup heavy cream or half-and-half
Salt and pepper, to taste
Fresh chopped parsley, for garnish

Directions:

1) Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large baking pan with foil and brush with a little oil or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
2) Cut each tomato into 4 wedges. Cut eggplant into 4 wedges, lengthwise.
3) In a large food storage bag or bowl, toss tomato wedges, eggplant slices, onion wedges, and garlic with olive oil. Spread the vegetables in the baking pan. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour, turning once or twice, or until the vegetables are tender and browned.
4) Scoop eggplant into a large saucepan; discard peel. Put remaining roasted vegetables in the saucepan along with marjoram or basil, chicken broth, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and cover; simmer for 45 minutes, or until vegetables are very soft. Remove from heat and let stand for 15 minutes.
5) Blend eggplant and chicken broth mixture in 4 batches until pureed. Return pureed mixture to the large saucepan and stir in cream. Heat until it begins to simmer. Add more chicken broth if mixture is too thick. Taste and add salt and pepper. Spoon into bowls and sprinkle with a little chopped parsley, if desired. Yield: 4 to 6 servings.








One Year Ago Today: Light and Chunky Clam Dip















Two Years Ago Today: Polpettini - Tuscan Meatballs

49 comments :

Mihaela said...

Mary, it's the first time I hear about eggplant soup, but it sounds very interesting. Since I love eggplant, I'll save the recipe. Thanks for sharing! Have a blessed day :)

Lifewithspices said...

wow very yummy n interesting soup love the flavors..

Banana Wonder said...

Ahhhh you don't like eggplant? I will take any extra eggplants you got! gimme gimme! Any way, I have never heard or seen eggplant soup and it looks tasty and satisfying. Your orphans are soo cute.

Amalia said...

I just have to say that your grandsons are adorable :) I wish I was still a little kid running around...well I kind of am, haha! But anyways, I love eggplant! I've never tried eggplant soup, but it looks delicious! I agree with you though, I don't think very many people will wake up one morning and have a craving for eggplant soup or eggplant in general...but hey if you some and don't know what to do with it, make some eggplant soup! This looks wonderful, thank you for sharing :) God Bless and have a lovely day!

Aimee@clever muffin said...

I am a huge eggplant fan so think this would be a huge hit in my house. I always have one or two in my vegie draw. I wonder how it would go it I changed the cream out for milk or natural yogurt?

Ginny Hartzler said...

I don't know which picture I would like best!!! I love all three, the boys are beautiful!!!

A Bitchin' Kitchen said...

Your grandsons are too cute!

This soup looks great - I love eggplant!

- Maggie

Prema said...

wow yummy n delicious soup mary,perfect for the climate...pls pass the bowl...

Chiara said...

It's really new for me,sounds amazing Mary! have a godd day...

Cloudia said...

eggplant soup - who knew?


Aloha from Honolulu

Comfort Spiral

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A Spoonful of Yumm said...

your grandsons look adorable ! this soup is perfect for cold, rainy weather. never heard of an eggplant soup...great idea :-)

sangeeta said...

This is the first time i came across an egg plant soup...i would love to try it as i like eggplants a lot , more so if it's roasted :)

linksdistodaquilo said...

Excellent suggestion!

A kiss of Nita.
Good morning.

Tracy's Living Cookbook said...

I love eggplant, but have never thought of using it in a soup - nice recipe idea! I am always the person who willingly takes people's 'leftover' eggplants at the end of the summer!

That Girl said...

Looks great - I wish eggplant didn't upset my stomach!

Red Nomad OZ said...

So ... did your gorgeous grandsons eat the soup?? Sounds interesting - but give me a good old eggplant parmigiana any day!!

And no problem re Red Alert! Thanx for considering it!!

Schnitzel and the Trout said...

Never imagined using eggplant for a soup like this. We love eggplant. My first thought at seeing the pic of the grandboys was that this picture could have been taken a long time ago...like pioneer days almost. Then I read about being without power. It all fits. Hopefully things will be all lit up again very soon.

Tanna said...

Oh, Mary! Your grandsons are so very precious!! Love those sweet little cheeks (first photo gives me flashes of Alex's little round ones, too). Thank you for the smiles that these little guys gave me this morning.

LOVE eggplant and tomato combos so this one sounds great to me!! Hope your little orphans have power restored soon! blessings ~ tanna

What's next said...

The grandsons are precious and the soup sounds good too!!!

SKIP TO MALOU said...

I love the smell of roasted eggplant. I usually make them into salads or tortang talong (eggplant omelette) This is a whole new "bowl" to me and since I love roasted eggplant, it will go to my must try box.
You have adorable grandkids btw. Have a good day Mary!
Malou

Jayanthy Kumaran said...

sounds exquisitely tasty..nice presentation..
Tasty Appetite

Kim said...

What an unusual soup. I'm really curious to taste it!

Top Cuisine avec Lavi said...

Hi Mary! I'm glad you like my blog! I try to add each recipe every day! I love your blog!

Karen Harris said...

I'm with you, we aren't big eggplant eaters around here either, but I might actually make this soup. If I'm ever gifted an eggplant or two I know where I'll come for a recipe.

Priya Suresh said...

Wow never tried soup with eggplants, wonderful looking soup.

Hidden Haven Homestead said...

Mary, you have really helped me out with this recipe! A friend of ours has a produce stand and gives us free produce all the time. I had ran out of ways to cook eggplant and just started cutting it up for the pigs to eat. Now I can try this soup recipe. Thank you!!!

Tiffany said...

Mary, I just found you because you found me. Thanks for stopping by and your kind words! Love love love soup. and I am one of the people who also really enjoy eggplant, so I will have to give this a try!

Jessica Thacker said...

we used to grow eggplant in our garden but we did fairytale eggplant, it was ver very mild and amazing

StephenC said...

Your grandchildren are so adorable I can hardly pay attention to the recipe. However, I share your sentiments about dealing with eggplant. I have my ups and downs.

Claudia said...

I like eggplant but don't love it. But grow it! So shall bookmark this - because anytime I can turn something into soup - I am happy. Hope your little beauties get to enjoy a delayed Halloween. The first photo is so sweet - I melted.

From the Kitchen said...

I'll bookmark this for next eggplant season. I'm not a huge fan of eggplant other than a roasted with tomato recipe that we've been doing. I usually add them to caponata and freeze it at the end of the season.

My eyes were mostly on your adorable grandsons! Indeed they have grown--which children tend to do much too fast.

While I was in my hometown, I got to meet a blogging friend and her two adorable grandsons. We enjoyed a nice lunch together.

Best,
Bonnie

Clint said...

I ain't an eggplant kinda' guy, but I must say you make it look wonderful.

Diane said...

I had masses in the garden earlier this year..... bookmarked for next year :) I made masses of ratatouille but soup will be a nice change. Thanks Mary. Diane

Anna's kitchen table said...

Mary, your Grandsons are adorable!
The soup looks very good too.

Priyanka said...

Hi Mary,
I love eggplant, always have them ready to use :) . And the very name if the dish interested me...I will definitely give it a try.
And have to say..your grandsons are soooo adorable...

Lois said...

My problem is that I like buying eggplants, because they are so beautiful, but then I don't know what the heck to do with them, because I don't love eating them. I do love soup, though, and now I can buy an eggplant. I used to grow them in my garden, and the squirrels would steal them.

Unknown said...

Your soup sounds amazing but your grandsons really captured my eye! Just precious!

Alessandra said...

I think that I really like the idea of a roasted eggplant soup, I haven't tried that yet :-)!!

Your grandsons are adorable, you must be a very proud grandmother :-).

Ciao
Alessandra

Emily Malloy said...

A perfect soup! Truly! And adorable little photos, too!

France@beyondthepeel said...

What a great post. My husband really doesn't like eggplant, I think it's a texture thing. As soon as my husband says he doesn't like something I feel challenged to find a recipe to change his mind. I think this one will do the trick perfectly!

Unknown said...

Ok, your grandchildren are just adorable!! And the soup.. I bet roasting the veggies really brought out an amazing flavor in that soup. YUM!

Joanne said...

I have turned into quite the soup lover and this sounds super fabulous! Roasted eggplant has some of the best flavor of any roasted veggie out there, I think!

Guvi said...

I adore eggplants, but I've never had them as soup; interesting idea...

Your grandsons are adorable!

Aldy said...

I'm a huge fan of eggplants but I've never tried eggplant soup... I'm absolutely curious now. And I have to try out your lovely recipe. Looks gorgeous. Your grandsons are sooooo cute!!!

HUGS <3

Arudhi said...

This eggplants soup is totally new for me and it absolutely sounds wonderful! I usually stir-fry it or shallow-fry and then glaze it with soy sauce. So, soup will be new for our menu at home and thank you for the recipe. By the way, your grandsons are so handsome! Hope you and your family have a super fun weekend!

suesueb said...

I love eggplant and since I'm looking for some soup recipes for winter I'll definitely be trying this. Thanks!!
p.s. The boys are adorable!

Tender B. said...

The eggplant soup and the grandsons both look great.

Lori said...

I guess they are Mary. Wow, I always marvel over the way kids grow and how fast them time passes.

I kept thinking I have to go and visit Mary's blog to see what yummy things she has been cooking up. Then lo and behold you left a comment on my blog.

Lois said...

Your grandsons are simply adorable! Thank you for stopping by my blog, and your kind words!

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