WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS Eggplants and tomatoes are found together throughout the eastern Mediterranean in countless dishes, especially soups. For a wonderfully creamy and satisfying soup, we began by dicing and roasting eggplant and found that by doing this, we could skip the task of salting, rinsing, and drying it. We left the skin on for deeper eggplant flavor and broiled it to develop a flavorful char. To build our soup, we started with the usual aromatics—onion and garlic—and added the flavorful North African spice blend ras el hanout plus some extra cumin, which gave the soup complex flavor. We added subtle sweetness with raisins, which, once pureed, also gave our soup body. Canned tomatoes were easy and offered rich tomato flavor. We reserved some eggplant to add to the pureed soup for a pleasantly chunky texture. Lemon juice provided brightness, almonds gave a nice crunch, and cilantro added freshness. You can find ras el hanout in the spice aisle of most well-stocked supermarkets.
Serves: 4 to 6
Total time: 55 minutes
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 pounds eggplant, cut into ½-inch pieces
- 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for serving 1 onion, chopped
- Salt and pepper
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1½ teaspoons ras el hanout
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth, plus extra as needed 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced
- tomatoes, drained ¼ cup raisins
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons slivered almonds, toasted
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Adjust oven rack 4 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Toss eggplant with 5 tablespoons oil, then spread in aluminum foil–lined rimmed baking sheet. Broil eggplant until mahogany brown, 5 to 7 minutes, stirring once halfway through. Set aside 2 cups eggplant.
- Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in large saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and cook until softened and lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in garlic, ras el hanout, and cumin and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in broth, tomatoes, raisins, bay leaf, and remaining eggplant and bring to simmer. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer gently until eggplant is softened, about 20 minutes.
- Discard bay leaf. Working in batches, process soup in blender until smooth, about 2 minutes. Return soup to clean saucepan and stir in reserved eggplant. Heat soup gently over low heat until warmed through (do not boil), and adjust consistency with extra hot broth as needed. Stir in lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve, sprinkling individual portions with almonds and cilantro and drizzling with extra oil.
