Roasted Eggplant Soup Serves 8

Preheat oven to 375°. Cut off the eggplants’ “hats”. Split the eggplants the long way, and rub the cut side lightly with salt. Grease a cookie sheet generously with olive oil. Place the eggplants on the sheet, cut side down. Bake in the oven until soft (at least 20 minutes, take your time). Meanwhile, in a large stockpot, sauté the onion, garlic, celery and carrot in 2 tablespoons of the butter until translucent. Don’t scorch. Add potatoes to vegetables and cover with broth, plus water if necessary. Simmer until very tender. When eggplant is soft, scoop the pulp out of the skin and add to broth. In a saucepan, melt the remaining 4 tablespoons butter. Stir in the flour and cook gently for a few minutes. That is a roux blanc. Scoop some of the broth (2 cups or so) from the simmering soup and whisk it into the roux. When thickened, return the white sauce to the big pot of soup. Add the sour cream, cayenne, sherry and purée everything. Adjust salt, pepper, and thickness (add water if necessary). Just before serving, add a bit of parsley, chopped scallion, tomato bits and pepper bits.

2 to 3 EGGPLANTS, depending on size, Unpeeled
SALT – OLIVE OIL
1 ONION, minced
3 cloves GARLIC, chopped
2 stalks CELERY, sliced
2 CARROTS, peeled and sliced
2 cans (14oz) CHICKEN BROTH
2 POTATOES, cubed
6 tablespoons BUTTER (DIVIDED)
1/3 cup FLOUR
1/2 cup SOUR CREAM
1 or 2 drops SESAME OIL
1 pinch CAYENNE
2 tablespoons SHERRY
FRESH PARSLEY – SCALLION
TOMATO BITS – GREEN PEPPER BITS
SALT – PEPPER