Roasted Eggplant Soup With Mozzarella Croutons
A sophisticated roasted eggplant and vegetable soup from Napa Valley, topped with golden goat's milk mozzarella croutons — from Gourmet magazine.
Ingredients
- 1 0.5 lb Japanese eggplant, halved lengthwise
- 1 red bell pepper, halved and seeded
- 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 onions, unpeeled and halved
- 3 plum tomatoes, halved
- 8 garlic cloves
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 fresh thyme sprigs, chopped
- 3 fresh oregano sprigs, chopped
- 3 fresh basil sprigs, chopped
- 8 cup chicken broth
- 1 bay leaf, crumbled
- 12 ¼-inch thick slices French bread, toasted
- 0.8 lb goat's milk mozzarella, coarsely grated
Instructions
- 1
Lightly coat eggplant and bell pepper with 1 tablespoon olive oil; season with salt and pepper. In a foil-lined roasting pan, arrange eggplant (skin-down), bell pepper (skin-up), onions (cut-side down), and tomatoes (cut-side down). Place garlic nearby.
- 2
Roast in upper third of 400°F oven for 10 minutes. Then roast 30–40 more minutes until bell pepper is charred. Let cool. Remove skins from pepper and onions. Coarsely chop eggplant, pepper, onions, and garlic.
- 3
In a large kettle, melt butter with remaining olive oil over moderately high heat. Add chopped vegetables, tomatoes, thyme, oregano, basil, and enough broth to cover. Bring to a boil. Add bay leaf and simmer 30 minutes until slightly thickened.
- 4
Purée soup in blender in batches. Return to kettle and heat with remaining broth until heated through.
- 5
Arrange bread slices on a baking sheet, sprinkle with mozzarella, and broil about 4 inches from heat for 3–4 minutes until cheese is golden. Ladle soup into 6 bowls and top each with 2 croutons.