Baba Ganoush In Disguise
Many years ago, I first came across a recipe for roasted eggplant soup with the addition of basil. The recipe surprised me, even though eggplant, like avocado, is a neutral vegetable that works well with almost any recipe.
Those were the days when almost everything seemed to have a defined role (at least in the culinary world). And so we had grilled Eggplants mixed with tahini or mayonnaise, a variety of fried eggplants, or vegetable stew with eggplants. Ç’est tout!
The blog was a trigger for me to break the schedule. But if you’re already preparing, let it be with a twist!
So I decided on a soup disguise for the famous baba ganoush: I sauteed onions, leeks, and garlic with some sage, added eggplant and diced potatoes and mixed well.
I replaced the traditional seasoning of thyme or basil with a pinch of bolder spices like mace, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Next, I added water, brought it to a boil, and cooked it for about half an hour.
I poured it into bowls, drizzled tahini, sprinkled fresh chopped sage, and served it with croutons. Finally, I took a tablespoon – and my eyes lit up. The dominance of the smoked eggplants and the implied taste of the spices created a delicacy that was hard to resist.
Enjoy, and let me know how it turned out🍆😋❣️
- 1 Kg Eggplants about two medium units
- 2 small potatoes, peeled and cut into 1.5 cm (0.6-Inches) cubes
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 leek, white part only, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 sage leaves
- 1 Liter water
- ⅛ tsp ground cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
- ⅛ tsp ground mace
- salt, and ground black pepper by taste
- ½ cup unsweetened almond milk or water
For Serving
- Tahini, chopped sage leaves, croutons or bread
- Start with the eggplants: roast them on an open fire (gas stove) on all sides until they soften. Remove from heat, transfer to a strainer to drain liquids, and let cool for about ten minutes. (To prepare the eggplant in the microwave, see instructions at the bottom of the recipe).
- Using a spoon, remove the eggplant flesh from the peel, and place it in a bowl. If some of the peel got mixed with it – it's okay.
- Heat olive oil in a soup pot, add chopped onion and leek, and sauté for a few minutes until the onion is soft and translucent.
- Add minced garlic and sage and fry for 30 seconds.
- Add eggplants and potato cubes and mix well.
- Add water, salt, black pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, and mace, and mix well.
- Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and cook for 30 minutes.
- Add half a cup of almond milk or water, and mix; Grind the soup with a stick blender. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. If the soup is too thick, add more water or milk.
For Serving
- Pour the soup into bowls, drizzle tahini, sprinkle chopped sage, and serve with croutons or bread.
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