Year of the Soup: Week 39

This soup doesn’t really feel like soup.  It’s packed with flavor and truly delicious, but doesn’t seem like something you should eat straight from a bowl with a spoon.  It’s just not really soup.  To us, this recipe felt more like a great sauce.  If you put it on some veggies or chicken and served it on a bed of rice – yummy.  That’s what we plan to do with the leftovers, actually.  It’s not soup, but it is still good.  Happy Tuesday!

Indian Roasted Eggplant Soup

Ingredients

• 1 large eggplant (about 11/2 lb.), coarsely chopped
• 1 large red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup chopped apple
• 2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
• 1 Tbs. Dijon-style mustard
• Salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. curry powder
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. ground coriander
• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. granulated sugar
• 1 12-oz. can tomato juice
• 3 Tbs. chopped cilantro plus extra for garnish, optional
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat broiler. Spray rimmed baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Place eggplant, bell pepper, onion, apple, vinegar, mustard and salt in large mixing bowl, and toss to combine and coat vegetables well. Place vegetables on large baking sheet.
3. Broil vegetables in middle of oven, stirring every 5 minutes, until browned and tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven, and set aside until ready to use.
4. Combine roasted vegetables in food processor or blender, and add olive oil, curry powder, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, sugar, tomato juice and 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro. Process, adding water to thin if needed, and working in batches if needed. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Reheat, garnish with cilantro, if desired, and serve hot.