Cream of Eggplant Soup
Submitted by louiseaulm
Curried cream of eggplant soup with potato, thyme, and basil, puréed velvety smooth and finished with cream. Salt-sweating removes bitterness for a mellow, earthy bowl.
YIELD
2 servingsPREP
50 minCOOK
40 minREADY
90 minEggplant might not be the first vegetable you think of when someone says “cream soup," but once you taste this, it’ll climb the list fast.
Salting and resting the diced eggplant for 30 minutes draws out any bitterness, leaving behind pure, mellow flavor.
Onion, celery, and the prepped eggplant get sautéed in butter before a teaspoon of curry powder blooms in the pan, adding a gentle warmth that plays beautifully with the earthy eggplant.
Potato simmers alongside to thicken things naturally, and after a pass through a sieve, cream brings the whole thing together into a bowl that’s smoky, savory, and deeply satisfying.
Kitchen Tips
- Don’t skip the salting step. Thirty minutes of salting followed by a quick rinse removes the bitter compounds that can ruin eggplant dishes. It’s worth the wait.
- Eggplant drinks butter like a sponge. Keep extra on hand and add more if the pan goes dry while sautéing.
- Make it ahead without the cream. The base keeps well for days in the fridge. Just add the cream when you reheat and thin with a splash of milk if it’s thickened up too much.
Ingredients
Directions
Dice the eggplant but do not peel.
Sprinkle a little salt over the eggplant and leave to stand for about 30 minutes.
Put in a strainer and run a little water over the dice, pat dry.
This removes any bitter taste which would spoil the soup.
Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the onion, celery and eggplant.
Saute', stirring occasionally until the vegetables have slightly softened.
Eggplant absorbs butter very rapidly so you may have to add a little more or the vegetables will stick.
Add the curry powder and fry to release the flavors.
Add thyme, basil, chicken stock and the potato.
Cover and simmer until the vegetables are quite soft, about 30 minutes.
Put the soup through a sieve or moulin and add the cream.
Taste for seasoning.
Add a little diced tomato or chopped chives for garnish and color.
This soup keeps well for several days.
However, if you intend making it beforehand and keeping it, only add the cream when you reheat it.
It thickens as it stands, but it can be thinned with a little milk.
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