Roasted Eggplant and Garlic Soup - Chef David Russo, Instructor of Culinary Arts, Ivy Tech State College.

The color and texture of this soup, to say nothing of the flavor, comes from roasted eggplant.  A subtle addition of several flavorful ingredients round out this terrific soup that will warm your body and your heart on a cool Autumn evening.

Ingredients:

4 garlic cloves (unpeeled)
2 cups eggplant, peeled and cubed
1 diced yellow onion
1 diced celery stalk
1 diced carrot
3 tbsp olive oil
1 yellow or white potato, peeled and diced
1 qt. chicken stock
1 sprig fresh thyme or 1/4 tsp dried thyme
2 tbsp Tahini
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
freshly squeezed lemon juice to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Wrap garlic cloves in aluminum foil.  combine the eggplant, onion, celery and carrot in a baking dish large enough to hold them in a single layer.  Place the garlic on the oven rack.  Drizzle olive oil over the vegetables.  Cover the pan with foil and roast until the eggplant and garlic are soft, about 15 minutes.  When cool enough, squeeze roasted garlic from its skin.

Combine the roasted vegetables with the potato, stock and thyme in a soup pot and simmer until the potatoes are tender enough to mash easily - about 25 minutes.  Remove the sprig of thyme and discard.  Add the tahini to the soup and whisk to combine the ingredients well.  Simmer the soup for 2-3 minutes.

Puree the soup using a blender.  Do small amounts at a time until all the soup has been processed.  Return the soup to the pot and simmer a few more minutes.  Season to taste with salt, pepper and lemon juice.  Serve in heated bowls.  Serves 8.