Okra Eggplant Soup Recipes

GRANNY'S OKRA SOUP

Steps:

• Combine tomatoes, lima beans, okra, potatoes, corn, green beans, carrots, and tomato paste in a large soup pot. Pour chicken stock over mixture and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer until vegetables begin to soften, about 15 minutes.
• Season ground beef with garlic powder, celery salt, and onion powder. Set aside.
• Heat butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic when butter stops bubbling; cook and stir for 1 minute. Spread ground beef evenly in the pan. Cook until it has a nice brown sear, stirring minimally to end up with mostly medium-sized chunks, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain skillet and add beef, onions, and garlic to the soup pot.
• Bring soup mixture to a boil; reduce heat to simmer, cover, and cook until vegetables and beef have cooked down, 1 to 2 hours.

LOWCOUNTRY OKRA SOUP

Steps:

• Set an 8-quart Dutch oven or similar pot over medium-high heat. When it is hot, add oil. When oil shimmers, lay in turkey necks and sear until evenly golden brown, about 4 minutes per side.
• Add 4 quarts water, smoked turkey, onion and a generous pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a heavy simmer, with the lid ajar to ensure the pot doesn't boil over. Check pot every 30 minutes to remove any scum that forms, and add water as needed to ensure that the meat is always submerged. Cook for about 3 hours or until all the meat is tender and broth is flavorful.
• While it's traditional to leave onion and bones in the soup (and suck meat off turkey neck as you eat), you can strain broth, remove onion and pick meat off bones at this point if desired, returning meat to broth. Either way, reduce broth to about 3 quarts, then stir in onion powder, paprika, cayenne and pepper, and season to taste with salt.
• Stir in tomatoes, then simmer uncovered for 20 minutes. Taste, and adjust seasoning for salt, then add okra, reduce heat to low and cook until okra is just tender, not mushy, and still has bite to it, no more than 10 minutes. The okra will naturally thicken the broth as it cooks.
• Stir in corn and beans, cook for another minute or 2, then serve immediately with rice, cornbread and hot sauce. Refrigerate leftovers for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 1 month. Return to a boil for 3 minutes before serving.

MARTHA'S VEGETABLE SAUTE

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large high-sided skillet over medium-high heat. Add scallions, okra, eggplant, and peppers; cook, stirring until vegetables have softened, about 3 minutes.
• Stir in parsley and basil; season with salt and pepper. Add 1/3 cup water and cover skillet; let cook until vegetables are tender about 2 minutes. Serve with farro or brown rice; drizzle with olive oil just before serving.

CHARRED EGGPLANT SOUP

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Brush 2 rimmed baking sheets with olive oil. Put the eggplants, flesh-side down, on one of the baking sheets, drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with salt. Toss the tomatoes, onion and garlic with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil on the other baking sheet (don't crowd the pans or the vegetables will steam). Season with salt and pepper. Roast the vegetables until tender and browned in spots, about 45 minutes, rotating the baking sheets halfway through.
• Scoop the eggplant flesh from the skin into a saucepan, discarding any excess seeds. Add the remaining roasted vegetables, the chicken stock, thyme and cilantro and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer about 20 minutes. Cool slightly.
• Puree the soup in a blender (in batches if necessary) until smooth. Return the soup to the saucepan and thin with more stock, if needed. Season with salt, pepper and chile powder. Ladle into bowls and garnish with fennel fronds; slide the cotton candy into the soup to serve.

ROASTED EGGPLANT AND CHICKPEA SOUP

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, toss together eggplant, onion, garlic, and 4 teaspoons olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Arrange in a single layer in a roasting pan or rimmed baking sheet, leaving a wide strip of empty space at one end. In bowl, toss chickpeas with remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil. Transfer to empty space on sheet. Roast until eggplant is golden and cooked through and chickpeas are slightly crunchy, about 35 minutes.
• Set chickpeas aside. Peel garlic and add to a medium pot, along with eggplant, onion, and broth. Bring mixture to a simmer over medium-high. With a potato masher or back of a wooden spoon, mash some eggplant until soup is thick and chunky. Stir in chickpeas and season to taste with salt and pepper. To serve, top with fresh oregano and plain yogurt, if desired.

RICH AND CREAMY ROASTED EGGPLANT SOUP

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Place tomatoes, eggplant, onion and garlic on a baking sheet and brush with oil.
• Roast in preheated oven until very tender and brown in spots, 45 minutes.
• Scoop out eggplant pulp and discard skin. Place eggplant pulp, tomatoes, onion and garlic in a large heavy saucepan with thyme and chicken broth. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce heat and simmer until onion is very tender, 45 minutes.
• Puree in batches in a food processor or blender, or using an immersion blender. Return to low heat and stir in cream. Bring to a simmer, thinning with more broth, if necessary. Season with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with goat cheese.

ALEK WEK'S OKRA SOUP

Steps:

• Chop off the ends of the okra and thinly slice the pods crosswise into small rounds.
• Heat the oil in a large, deep nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and sauté the onions until they start to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute more. Stir in the tomatoes and sprinkle with the salt and pepper.
• When the tomato juices start to boil, add 1/2 cup water. Heat to boiling, stirring, and add the bouillon cube. Stir and mash it until it dissolves. Add 1 1/2 cups water and heat to boiling. Add the okra and cinnamon sticks. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the okra seeds turn brown, about 10 minutes. Add more water if the soup becomes too thick. The total cooking time should be about 20 to 25 minutes.

OKRA EGGPLANT SOUP

Steps:

• In a stockpot, heat the oil and brown the beef cubes.
• Add onion, salt, and pepper, and cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add stock, bring to a boil, and lower heat to simmer until meat is cooked, about 30 minutes.
• Add vegetables and simmer until soft, about 15 minutes.
• Remove the vegetables and puree them in a blender. (Be careful with the hot liquid. Use an immersion blender if available).
• Return to puree to the stock pot, adjust seasonings, and simmer 5 minutes.