Chilled Eggplant Soup With Red Bell Pepper And Olives Recipes

ROASTED RED BELL PEPPERS WITH EGGPLANT (FUNGHETTO)

Steps:

• For the peppers: Place an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Spray a small baking dish or baking sheet with vegetable oil cooking spray. Arrange the peppers, cut side-up, on the baking sheet and drizzle with the olive oil. Bake until the peppers are tender but still holding their shape, about 20 minutes.
• For the eggplant: Heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat in a 12-inch nonstick skillet. Add the eggplant in batches and cook, stirring frequently, until golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain on paper towels and season with salt.
• For the filling: Combine the cooked eggplant, tomato-basil sauce, olives, capers, salt and pepper in a 12-inch nonstick skillet. Bring to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, about 8 minutes.
• For the topping: In a small bowl, combine the breadcrumbs and Parmesan.
• Preheat the broiler.
• Spoon the filling into the bell peppers and sprinkle the topping over the filling. Drizzle with the olive oil and broil until a golden crust forms, 2 to 3 minutes.

CHILLED EGGPLANT SOUP WITH RED BELL PEPPER AND OLIVES

Steps:

• Prepare barbecue (medium heat). Grill eggplant until skin is charred and flesh is soft, about 6 minutes per side. Grill bell pepper until brown in spots, turning frequently, about 10 minutes. Transfer eggplant and pepper to bowl. Cover with foil and let stand 30 minutes. Peel, seed and dice red bell pepper. Set aside.
• Scoop eggplant from skin and transfer flesh to blender; discard skin. Stir cumin in heavy small skillet over low heat until lightly toasted, about 2 minutes. Add cumin to blender; then add yogurt, milk, olive oil, 1 tablespoon mint and garlic. Blend until very smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer soup to large bowl. Mix in 1 1/2 cups broth. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour. (Bell pepper and soup can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover separately and refrigerate. Before serving, thin soup with more vegetable broth, if desired.)
• Mix bell pepper, remaining 1 tablespoon mint and olives in small bowl. Ladle eggplant soup into bowls. Sprinkle with bell pepper mixture; serve.

ROASTED WHITE EGGPLANT SOUP

Steps:

• Put the yogurt in a strainer lined with cheesecloth. Set aside for 3 hours in the refrigerator. Put the roasted bell pepper in a food processor or blender. Puree until smooth. Set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place the eggplant on a baking sheet. Roast until soft, about 35 minutes. Set aside to cool. Peel the roasted eggplant. Cut in half lengthwise and lift out the small seed sacs. Discard. Chop the remaining pulp.
• Combine the olive oil, onion, garlic and eggplant in a soup pot. Cook until the onions are soft, about 10 minutes. Add chicken broth. Simmer for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Ladle the soup into 4 bowls. Garnish each with a dollop of thickened yogurt and a swirl of red pepper puree.

ROASTED EGGPLANT AND BELL PEPPER SALAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute until browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Add remaining olive oil to the skillet; add eggplant and bell pepper. Saute until starting to soften, about 5 minutes. Add tomato, garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper; cook 2 to 3 minutes more. Return sauteed onion to the skillet. Adjust seasonings if necessary. Transfer eggplant mixture to a baking pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Cool before serving, about 1 hour.

ROASTED EGGPLANT AND BELL PEPPER SOUP

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• Toss eggplant, peppers, onion, tomatoes, garlic, herbs, oil and salt together.
• Place in a large baking dish. Roast until browned and fragrant, about 1 hour, turning 2-3 times while they're roasting.
• Transfer roasted vegetables to a soup pot.
• Add 1 cup water to the dish they baked in, scrape up the caramelized juices, and add to pot along with cumin and ginger.
• Pour in another 6 cups water, the cilantro, and 1/2 tsp salt.
• Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer, covered, until the vegetables are fully tender, 20 minutes or so.
• Let cool slightly, then puree, leaving a little texture. I would use an immersion blender here.
• Stir in the lime juice and pour into serving bowl.
• Swirl in the yogurt.
• Serve garnished with sprigs of cilantro.

ROASTED RED PEPPER AND EGGPLANT SOUP

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°F. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Pierce eggplants all over with fork. Transfer, cut side down, to baking sheet. Roast until tender, about 45 minutes. Cool slightly. Remove peel and discard. Cut eggplants into large pieces. Rinse eggplant pieces under running water. Drain well. Set aside.
• Char bell peppers over gas flame or in broiler until blackened on all sides. Enclose in paper bag 10 minutes. Peel, seed and coarsely chop peppers.
• Heat oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and leek and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Stir in eggplant, peppers, chicken stock, and tomato paste. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer uncovered until vegetables are tender, about 45 minutes. Stir in basil and thyme. Cool slightly.
• Working in batches, puree soup in blender until smooth. Return soup to pot. Season with salt and pepper. Add butter and lemon juice; stir over low heat until soup is heated through, about 5 minutes. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to simmer before continuing.) Transfer to large bowl; garnish with Parmesan.

SPICY ROASTED RED PEPPER AND EGGPLANT SOUP

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425F/220°C.
• While the peppers and eggplant are roasting, chop your onions and fresh chili (if you are using a fresh chili). Throw away the seeds and pith of the chili, and remember to only use half. Set aside.
• Put the eggplant and the bell peppers on a baking tray. To prevent exploding, poke a few holes in the eggplant, and one small slit in each pepper, facing up (while the peppers cook, they will fill with juice, and you don't want it to leak out).
• Roast them in the oven for about 40 minutes, until the eggplant is soft. Allow to cool enough to touch.
• Carefully put the peppers in a bowl, saving as much juice as possible, and cut in half. Peel away and discard the skin, seeds and pith.
• Cut the eggplant in half, and use a spoon (a grapefruit spoon works amazing for this if you have one!) to scoop out the flesh into the bowl with the red pepper flesh.
• Put the olive oil in the soup pot on low heat, and add the onions. Cook until soft, but not browned.
• Add the hot chili or chili powder, and cook for few quick minutes.
• Add the eggplant, red peppers, thyme, and paprika, and stir.
• Add about three quarters of the stock (enough to cover the contents of the pot), and simmer for about 20 minutes.
• In a few batches, puree the soup in a blender until smooth (you need to use a second pot to keep the pureed and un-pureed soup separate).
• Add more stock to adjust the consistency if you need to.
• Add salt, black pepper, small amounts of oregano and coriander, and more of the other spices and thyme to taste. Add a small dash of lime juice as well.
• Serve hot with a spoonful or two of fresh cream on top, and a spoonful of chopped scallions.

EGGPLANT AND RED PEPPER BAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Mix red bell pepper, onion, and garlic in a large mixing bowl; season with basil, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Drizzle olive oil and balsamic vinegar over the pepper mixture; toss to coat the vegetables evenly.
• Brush eggplant slices with olive oil to coat thinly.
• Spread about 1/3 of the pepper mixture into the bottom of a square glass baking dish; top with a layer of about 1/3 of the eggplant. Repeat layering twice more. Top final layer with mozzarella cheese.
• Bake in preheated oven until the cheese is browned and the vegetables are bubbling, 35 to 40 minutes.

GRILLED EGGPLANT WITH RED PEPPER SAUCE

Steps:

• Slice the eggplant in pieces a half an inch thick. If using the large purple variety, sprinkle with salt and allow to drain for one hour. Pat dry with paper towels.
• Meanwhile, make the red pepper sauce. Soften the onion in 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the garlic, tomatoes, peppers, garlic and herb bouquet. Add 1/2 cup water, cover, and cook slowly for about 20 minutes, or until the peppers are soft. Remove the herb bouquet and puree the peppers in a food processor until smooth. Cool to room temperature and correct seasoning.
• Preheat coals. Brush the eggplant slices with remaining olive oil and grill until charred. Arrange on a long serving dish in one or two rows, season with pepper to taste and pour the sauce along the middle of the slices. Sprinkle with basil and serve.