Rachael Ray's Roasted Eggplant and Tomato Soup

Found a beautiful eggplant at Berkeley Bowl and I just had to scoop it up and take it home to cook something yummy! I love Rachael Ray and saw her cook up this Roasted Eggplant and Tomato Soup, so I had to try making it.  What I love about Rachael Ray's recipes is that they are fairly simple and yet practically fool-proof and come out tasty every time!  The trick for this soup is finding time to roast off the eggplant and garlic (I woke up early and roasted them this morning so they could cook while I got ready for work, etc.), but once you do that, the soup itself is super easy and quick to throw together.  Rachael Ray describes this soup as Eggplant Parmesan in a bowl.  Since I didn't add the ricotta salata at the end as garnish, I didn't get that flavor similarity, but I did think it was a jazzed up tomato soup, kicked up three notches with the addition of the nutty roasted eggplant, roasted garlic and wine.  Let's just say this soup is very satisfying and it is a good way to "sneak" eggplant into your diet if you aren't sure how to cook with it! I love eggplant, so it isn't a problem for me, but I know some people shy away from it because it can be a bit daunting to cook with. The eggplant makes this soup heartier and almost creamy, especially after the immersion blender hits the pot--this soup is very yummy and worthy of staying on the menu in my house!

Thank you, Rachael Ray, for teaching me yet another wonderful recipe! This soup battles any cafe bitro soup you might find for a fraction of the cost--I could see a cafe charging $3-5 for a small cup of soup like this, but if you make it at home, you get to have seconds and not break the bank or offend your waistline! As Rachael Ray always says, "you ain't gonna find this in a can!"  This soup is "good and good for you!"

Ingredients

2 tablespoons EVOO, plus more for liberal drizzling
1 medium to large firm eggplant, halved, scored with paring knife
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 bulb garlic, ends cut to expose the cloves
2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
4 cups chicken stock (I used vegetable stock)
1 cup dry white or red wine (I used red)
One 32-ounce can fire roasted tomatoes of any variety (whole, diced or crushed)
A few leaves fresh basil, torn, plus a few for garnish
Crumbled or grated ricotta salata, garnish (I omitted the cheese)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.Pour enough oil to coat the center of a baking sheet. Season the scored eggplant with salt and pepper, then arrange the cut sides down in the EVOO. Drizzle the garlic with EVOO and season with salt and pepper. Wrap in a foil pouch and roast along with the eggplant until very tender, 40 minutes. Cool to handle.Heat 2 tablespoons EVOO, a couple of turns of the pan, in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the thyme, chile flakes, onions and salt and pepper and stir to soften, 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and stir 1 minute more. Then add the stock, wine, and tomatoes. Scrape the eggplant away from skin and add the flesh, along with the garlic, squishing the cloves from the skins. Add the basil. Puree the soup with an immersion blender. Simmer to thicken. Cool and store for a make-ahead meal. Reheat the soup over medium heat, and top with the basil and cheese.

Thank you, Rachael Ray, for your yum-o recipe!