Soup season begins: roasted eggplant and tomato soup

The regular readers of these pages will recall that, comes post Labor Day, the Guyman goes back to music rehearsals.  That means late night suppers.  And, for us, that means soup, pizza and salad.  Annalena will update you with soup recipes as she develops them - assuming that they are new.  For example, whilst we are in week the third, the first soup was cold corn soup, which you have in your archives.  Just look it up.  Second week was squash soup which, as she thinks about it, Annalena probably did not give you.  Mi dispiace.  We will see about putting it up.  But for today, we stick our heads in the oven, and roast our vegetables for a really delicious, substantial soup.  One that also, by the way, is almost fat free (Ms. Em, are you listening?)

Few vegetables are as misunderstood, as eggplants are.  What Annalena means by this, is that many people THINK they like them, but actually like eggplant as a carrier for other things.   Step back a minute and think:  when you have eggplant parmagiana, can you pick the flavor of eggplant out of that mouthful?  Annalena thinks not.  When  you eat baba ghanouj, how about picking eggplant out of the tahini?  Again, very difficult to do , isn't it?  Fact of the matter is, eggplant is one of those vegetables that seems to add more texture than flavor to things.  Many people think of it as a meat substitute, because it is dense, chewy, and picks up flavors, but let's revisit eggplant and treat it for what it is.

This soup does use other ingredients, but the star is the eggplant.  And Annalena assures you, you will taste it.  And you will like it.

Let us start with our ingredients.  You will need eggplants, plum tomatoes (you do need the plum variety here), a large onion, and about six cloves of garlic.  You should have twice as much eggplant as you do tomatoes.  So, if you have two pounds of eggplant....    Approximations are fine, especially if there is a higher ratio of eggplant to tomato than 2:1  You CAN also use basil or pesto with this, if you like.  To keep it more fat free, use the basil leaves rather than the pesto.

Preheat your oven to 425.  Cut the blossom end off of your eggplants  and then cut them in half, lengthwise.  Do the same with your plum tomatoes.  Cut your onion in quarters, and peel it.  Now, do one of two things: EITHER rub two baking sheets with olive oil (do not be skimpy), OR  line them with parchment paper, and rub olive oil over the cut surface of the tomatoes and the eggplant, and rub it on the onion and garlic.

If you do not use the parchment paper, you will get a browner, more "roasty" tasting soup, but cleanup will be more difficult.  If you use the parchment, you will still get some smokiness, but not the same amount, and clean up will be simple. Your choice.

Put the eggplant, cut side down on one baking sheet, with the onion and the garlic.  Put the tomatoes on the other one, cut sides UP.  Sprinkle a little salt on them.

Bake these guys for about forty minutes.  After twenty, reverse the position in the oven, and at twenty, check your garlic.  If it's soft and tender, take it out, and put it in a bowl.  If not, let it continue to roast.    When you can push the eggplant and get no resistance, your veggies are done.  Get them out of the oven, dump them all into a bowl, and let them cool.  You'll notice, even if you used the parchment, that the tomatoes and eggplants have browned a bit.  The onion will have softened.

It is VERY important that you show some patience here, because these vegertables are very, very hot.    When they do cool down, scrape the pulp from the eggplant.  If you get some of the skin, it's no big deal, but don't take too much of it.

Now, get those veggies into a blender.  You don't have to peel the garlic.  Seriously, you don't.  If your blender isn't big enough, do this in two batches.  If you are inclined, this is the time to add the basil leaves, or the pesto.

You will not need liquid, because the juice of the tomatoes, and the water in the eggplant will be sufficient to make a puree; however, you must stand back now and look at it, because this is THICK.  If  you are fonder of thinner soups, do use water, or vegetable stock or chicken stock to thin it, but know that the delicate flavor of the eggplant will become more diluted.  To Annalena's taste, better to have a small bowl of the thick stuff. 

Taste.  Adjust your seasonings.  Eggplant needs a fair piece of salt, so be ready.

And there you are.  A soup that uses the tail ends of what summer has given us so bountifully.  You may be surprised how little this makes:  Annalena got just over a quart, but it is difficult to eat much of this.

Soon, ragazzi, Annalena tangles with a vegetable she has not cooked more than once: kohlrabi.