Roasted Eggplant Soup

Sometimes you just feel like soup, even if the weather is conspiring against you. When I made this soup, DC was a bit confused - instead of inching towards fall like most locales in the country, DC had decided it wanted to be a temperate rainforest. It was grey, drizzling, and overall dreary for a good part of the week. It also had 95 percent humidity. 

In a word, gross.

If I couldn't have a lovely fall day, at least I could have a tasty soup (served with awesome cornbread). This recipe combines the last of the available fresh tomatoes with eggplant, onions, and garlic. How could it go wrong?

Roasted Eggplant Soup

From Smitten Kitchen 

You can leave out the cumin and red pepper flakes if you'd like, but I think you'd be left with a fairly boring soup. It will still be hearty and filling, but personally I think eggplant can be a bit boring and so I will always advocate for a spicier version if it's available. The current amounts in the recipe are fairly minimal when spread out per serving for those of you who aren't big fans of spice.  

Ingredients:

3 medium tomatoes, halved

1 large (or several smaller weighing about 1.5 lbs total) eggplant, halved lengthwise

1 onion, halved

6 large garlic cloves, peeled

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 cups chicken or vegetable broth

2 teaspoons cumin

Dash of red pepper flakes

1/4 cup heavy cream or half-and-half (optional, but recommended)

Salt and pepper to taste

Equipment:

Roasting pan, large pot or stock pot, blender/immersion blender

Roast the vegetables: Preheat the oven to 400F. Arrange the vegetables on a large baking sheet and brush with olive oil. Roast for 20 minutes, remove the garlic gloves and set aside, and roast for about 25 minutes. Vegetables should be tender and brown in spots.

Make the Soup: Remove pan from oven and scoop eggplant flesh from skin. Add the flesh, along with tomatoes, onions, and garlic cloves, to the large pot or stock pot. Add the chicken or vegetable broth and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook until onion is very tender, about 45 minutes to an hour.

Puree the soup. Either in the pot using an immersion blender or working in batches with a regular blender. Puree until as smooth as desired.

Add the cream or half-and-half, cumin, and red pepper flakes and bring soup back to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Serve 4.