There are times that we are reading a recipe that makes us wonder how those ingredients would taste together. And, the more we think about putting some foods together, the more intriguing that recipe becomes. This soup was one that we had thought about for weeks before trying to make it. Eggplant soup sounded weird. But, then, we thought about the little bite of the eggplant and the creamy nature of the white beans and thought these things may be tasty together. So, we tried it. And, sure enough, the flavours worked together so well, and with a splash of lemon, this was a delightful, filling soup. It was a perfect answer for a freezing fasting day!
There are several variations that can be taken with this soup. We are providing a basic recipe, but you could add a variety of ingredients here and make this a base for any kind of soup you like.
For this recipe, you will need the following:
2 eggplants (we used 6 small)
1 can white beans, drained and rinsed
1 onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
water as needed
The longest part of this recipe was roasting the eggplant. We used six small purple eggplants this time. In the past, we have used 2 large eggplants, or 4 slim Chinese eggplants. We fins that the small ones and the large ones have the stronger flavour which you need for this soup. The slender Chinese eggplants are very mild.
Roasting the eggplant takes about 30-45 minutes. You have to remove the stem section of the eggplant, and then slice each eggplant in half. Lay the sliced eggplant on a parchment lined cookie sheet, and put that in the oven at 425 F for 30 to 45 minutes, depending on your oven. You are looking to cook the eggplants long enough to be soft and gooey in the middle, and fully cooked. They may form a skin on the cut part that is against the cookie sheet, but that's okay, the centre will be creamy.
While the eggplants are in the oven roasting, prepare the rest of the ingredients. Chop the onions. Keep the size rather small so they do not take long to cook. Now, sauté the onions over medium to medium high heat. Add some chopped garlic. Cook this for about 10 minutes.
Add the pepper flakes if you are using them. You could add red pepper flakes, you could choose parsley, dill, or even ground rosemary. We like a little spice in our food, so we chose the red pepper. It is the next step that brings a lot of flavour.
Now the eggplants are out of the oven, and they are soft and cooked through. Using a spoon, scoop out the centres of the eggplant, leaving behind the skin. You will scoop and collect the eggplant pulp, and that is the part we are adding to the soup. Add the pulp to the pot with the onions.
Mix this around a bit to make sure that everything is coated and evenly distributed. Cook this for about 5 minutes before adding the beans.
Now, add the beans. They should be rinsed and drained. Mix them into the pot and make sure that all the ingredients are evenly distributed. Now, it is time to add the water. Add enough water to cover the beans fully. You will see the oil start to float on top and you may see some of the seasonings surface. That's okay. This mixture needs to come to a boil, which will take about 10 minutes on medium high heat. Allow this to boil for about 10 more minutes to make sure all the ingredients are soft.
To thicken the soup:
Remove half the amount of soup and put it into a separate container. We chose to use a measuring cup because it pours easily and we could watch the puree process. Once you have half the soup in the separate container, use an immersion blender or put it in a food processor. Now, puree that half of the soup, while leaving the other half intact. We have pureed the full amount in the past, but we like a little variety in texture, so we pulsed half the soup only.
Add the pureed portion back to the pot and bring that to a full simmer for 10 minutes. This will give all the ingredients to settle and combine. Serve this hot after those 10 minutes, and serve with a small wedge of lemon. The flavours that come through on this soup are amazing.
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| The final product is a very tasty, vegan soup which has the texture of a cream-based soup. It is inexpensive, relatively quick to make and a joy to share with your family and friends. |
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