Charred Eggplant Soup

Local globe and Filipino eggplant

I have a love/hate relationship with eggplant.  Love the color/look, hated the texture/taste.

I hated it when I was little – bitter, mushy, strange color.  Fortunately I think my mom did too because it was one of the few vegetables we did not grow in our garden.  The only way I ever had it prepared that was remotely appealing was eggplant parmagiana, but given that all I ever tasted was cheese and marinara, I didn’t really consider that eating eggplant.  Periodically I would try a recipe, just to see if my tastes had changed, but no luck.

Then a couple of years ago I had a hot antipasto dish at a local Italian restaurant.  It was amazing and I was honestly shocked that I was eating eggplant.  It took me a while to duplicate but I finally figured out how best to cook it for my palate – salt, time, then broiling.  Best part is that it gave me confidence to try other recipes.

This soup was made with globe eggplant I received in last week’s veggie box from Oahu Fresh – they are from Ho Farms.  I supplemented with eggplant from the Honolulu Farmer’s market.  The only changes I made to the recipe were to use macadamia nut oil instead of olive oil and Maui onion instead of shallots.  So this recipe was entirely local (except for spices), all the way down to Maui Pineapple wine and homemade Greek yogurt from local milk.

We absolutely loved this soup.  It was time-consuming because of all the grilling, but well worth it.  Typical of eggplant it has a very meaty but creamy texture, but no bitterness at all.  This is definitely a recipe we will be making again.

And finally, I made this for Deb’s blog event, Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays over at Kahakai Kitchen.  I think she is joining me this week in eating local – this is the final week of the Kanu Hawaii Eat Local challenge.

(Williams-Sonoma)

• 1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for grilling and brushing
• 2 large eggplants, about 2 1/2 lb. total, peeled and cut crosswise into slices 1 inch thick
• 3 ripe tomatoes, about 1 1/4 lb. total, cored, halved and seeded
• 3 carrots, peeled and finely diced
• 5 shallots, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3/4 tsp. minced fresh thyme
• 1/4 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 cup fruity white wine
• 5 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, plus more, to taste
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup plain Greek-style yogurt

Directions:

Prepare a medium-hot fire in a grill. Brush the grill grate with olive oil.

Brush the eggplant slices and tomato halves with olive oil and arrange on the grill directly over the heat. Cook, turning as needed, until softened and nicely grill-marked, about 8 minutes for the tomatoes and about 10 minutes for the eggplant. Transfer to a cutting board. When the tomatoes are cool enough to handle, remove and discard the skins. Coarsely chop all but 1 of the eggplant slices. Finely dice the remaining eggplant slice and set aside.

In a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium-high heat, warm the 1 Tbs. olive oil. Add the carrots and sauté until just beginning to soften, about 4 minutes. Add the shallots, garlic, thyme and cumin and cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, coarsely chopped eggplant, wine and broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover partially and simmer to blend the flavors, about 15 minutes.

Working in batches, transfer the mixture to a blender and process to a coarse puree. Pour the puree into a clean pot and add the 1 1/2 tsp. salt and pepper, to taste. Cook gently over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through, about 10 minutes.

Taste the soup and adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into warmed bowls, garnish each serving with a dollop of yogurt and a few of the finely diced eggplant cubes, and serve immediately. Serves 6 to 8.

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma New Flavors for Soup, by Adam Ried (Oxmoor House, 2008).

[I found this recipe through gojee.com.  It is a great website I found recently that lets you put in your main ingredient, what you have in your pantry and what you hate.  Then it give you lots of options.  The pictures are fantastic, so it is a really inspiring site. ]