Recipe: Chilled Eggplant and Roasted Pepper Soup
Page: 54
Date Cooked: April 6, 2012
This soup seemed to be the perfect dish for the somewhat spring like weather we are having here in Central Pennsylvania. And heck the last time I made a cream for a soup (Corn Soup with Saffron) in a JW recipe, it was pretty amazing.
I cut the eggplant in half and scored the flesh. I tossed the eggplant in some olive olive and seasoned it with salt and pepper. I put the eggplant in the oven to roast until it was soft.
I then did the ol' blacken and blister technique with the red bell peppers. I put them under the broiler till the bell peppers were blackened and blistered. I then placed them in a bowl, covered it with plastic wrap, and let them steam. Upon steaming, I peeled the pepper with the my hands. I stemmed, seeded, and cut the peppers into 1 inch squares. Finally, I tossed the red bell peppers in some olive oil.
I thinly sliced the onions and minced the garlic. I melted some butter in a pan and added the onion and garlic until the onions became translucent. I then added the peppers and cooked for a few additional minutes.
I coarsely chopped the eggplant and added it a Dutch oven with olive oil. I cooked the eggplant with salt and pepper until the eggplant turned golden brown. I then deglazed the pan with the chicken broth. I stirred in the onion mixture, bay leaves, and tarragon. The soup was brought to a gentle simmer and cooked for a bit. Once the soup was done, I pureed it with an immersion blender, adding a little water, poured it into a bowl, and placed it in the fridge.
Then it was on to the ginger cream. I put minced ginger in a small saucepan with some water and brought it to a simmer. Once the ginger became tender, I drained it reserving both the liquid and the ginger. The cooking liquid went back into the saucepan and I reduced it down. The reduction was combined with the ginger and let it cool.
Finally, I added the cream to the ginger and beat it until the cream held soft peaks. I seasoned the cream with salt, pepper, and thyme.
The soup is supposed to be served cold (or at the very least room temperature). I ladled the soup into some bowl and topped it with the ginger cream.
The soup was delicious. Amazing depth of flavor and I think I can attribute that to the roasting of the eggplant and red bell pepper. The consistency was quite good as well. It felt really hearty even though it was served cold. It had a great richness to it. Furthermore, the ginger cream was the cherry on top - an additional layer of flavor as well as a hint of spiciness from the ginger. The soup was relatively simple and had some big rewards at the end.
Page: 54
Date Cooked: April 6, 2012
This soup seemed to be the perfect dish for the somewhat spring like weather we are having here in Central Pennsylvania. And heck the last time I made a cream for a soup (Corn Soup with Saffron) in a JW recipe, it was pretty amazing.
 |
| Ingredients: Eggplant, olive oil, salt, pepper, red bell pepper, white onion, garlic, butter, chicken broth, bay leaves, tarragon sprigs, fresh ginger, heavy cream, and thyme |
I cut the eggplant in half and scored the flesh. I tossed the eggplant in some olive olive and seasoned it with salt and pepper. I put the eggplant in the oven to roast until it was soft.
 |
| Roasting eggplant halves |
I then did the ol' blacken and blister technique with the red bell peppers. I put them under the broiler till the bell peppers were blackened and blistered. I then placed them in a bowl, covered it with plastic wrap, and let them steam. Upon steaming, I peeled the pepper with the my hands. I stemmed, seeded, and cut the peppers into 1 inch squares. Finally, I tossed the red bell peppers in some olive oil.
 |
| (1) Blackened and blistered red bell pepper (2) Red bell peppers steaming (3) Cut into 1 inch squares (4) Tossed in olive oil |
I thinly sliced the onions and minced the garlic. I melted some butter in a pan and added the onion and garlic until the onions became translucent. I then added the peppers and cooked for a few additional minutes.
 |
| Cooking onions, garlic, and red bell peppers |
I coarsely chopped the eggplant and added it a Dutch oven with olive oil. I cooked the eggplant with salt and pepper until the eggplant turned golden brown. I then deglazed the pan with the chicken broth. I stirred in the onion mixture, bay leaves, and tarragon. The soup was brought to a gentle simmer and cooked for a bit. Once the soup was done, I pureed it with an immersion blender, adding a little water, poured it into a bowl, and placed it in the fridge.
 |
| Simmering soup |
Then it was on to the ginger cream. I put minced ginger in a small saucepan with some water and brought it to a simmer. Once the ginger became tender, I drained it reserving both the liquid and the ginger. The cooking liquid went back into the saucepan and I reduced it down. The reduction was combined with the ginger and let it cool.
 |
| Ginger and ginger reduction |
Finally, I added the cream to the ginger and beat it until the cream held soft peaks. I seasoned the cream with salt, pepper, and thyme.
 |
| Ginger cream |
The soup is supposed to be served cold (or at the very least room temperature). I ladled the soup into some bowl and topped it with the ginger cream.
 |
| Chilled Eggplant and Roasted Pepper Soup |
The soup was delicious. Amazing depth of flavor and I think I can attribute that to the roasting of the eggplant and red bell pepper. The consistency was quite good as well. It felt really hearty even though it was served cold. It had a great richness to it. Furthermore, the ginger cream was the cherry on top - an additional layer of flavor as well as a hint of spiciness from the ginger. The soup was relatively simple and had some big rewards at the end.
Enjoy!
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