Roasted Eggplant Soup

The quantity of CSA produce can get very overwhelming sometimes.  Things sit in my fridge, and I feel guilty every time I open it.  I'm never sure if I'll be able to use ALL of it.  That being said, cooking can extend the life of things, and roasting can concentrate the flavor of veggies past their prime.  I had three fat eggplants sitting in my fridge when this recipe for Roasted Eggplant Soup was posted.  It seemed very simple: just roast eggplant, tomatoes and onion together, then transfer it to a large pot and turn it into a soup.

This was a successful endeavor.  I was honestly a bit skeptical about eggplant soup, but I was also sick of the Moroccan couscous thing, and they were good enough eggplants that it would be wrong to dispose of them.  The recipe notes made me even more skeptical: the soup was described as not "exactly right" and "has a lot of potential" particularly in reference to the spices.  This scared me, because I am not confident in adding spices to things without any direction.  (How am I to know how much is too much?)

Fortunately, the results were pleasantly surprising.  I thought it was a very nice soup and I was not disappointed with the flavors.  Ken described it this way: "it tastes like if you put eggplant parm in the blender."  (My mom thought that sounded gross, and I agree, but I think it tastes more like if you put eggplant parm with not really any cheese and definitely no bread crumbs in the blender.)

I ate this topped with feta and croutons (made from day-old olive oil and rosemary bread).  Ken used shaved Parmesan.  Both were good.  I can't say I'd make this again, but it's a good use for eggplant and tomatoes that are on the way out.  As the original recipe notes suggest, I might try to leave it a bit chunkier if I do make it again - but the immersion blender is just so fun to play with...