I’ve never much liked eggplant on its own, even when I call it by its Continental name, aubergine, with the sound rolling softly off of my lips.  I generally incorporate it into other dishes like ratatouille or caponata or make baba ghanoush or, once in a while, make eggplant parmigiana where all that gooey cheese and aromatic tomato sauce masks what I think is a kinda chalky taste.  My mom tried to convince me that, when breaded and fried, it was an equal to her favorite fried oysters.  It didn’t work.

Because eggplant is so plentiful and, often, quite reasonable, I am always trying to come up with dishes that will change my view about it.  Besides, it is such a beautiful fruit (it is actually a berry) that I am forever buying a selection of types (Japanese, African, Chinese, Italian – green, purple, lavender, white, striated and on and on the list of exotica goes) to pile in a bowl for table décor.  And, then, of course, I don’t want it to go to waste so I have to think creatively.  This soup is the result of one such dilemma.

Creamy Spiced Eggplant Soup

Makes about 8 cups

3 pounds eggplant

3 tablespoons olive oil

1¼ cups chopped onions

1 tablespoon minced garlic

8 cups vegetable stock or canned low-sodium vegetable broth

¼ cup orange juice

2 teaspoons smoked Spanish paprika (pimenton)

Coarse salt and black pepper to taste

½ cup heavy cream

¼ cup chopped flat leaf parsley

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Preheat the oven to 400ºF.

Cut the eggplant in half, lengthwise, and remove the stem.  Place, cut side down, on a parchment paper-lined sheet pan in the preheated oven.  Roast for about 45 minutes or until well charred and cooked through.

Remove from the oven and let cool.

Scoop the flesh and discard the skin from half of the eggplant.  Chop the remaining skin-on eggplant into small pieces.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add the onions and garlic and

sauté for about 10 minutes or until very soft but not colored.  Add the reserved eggplant flesh and chopped eggplant along with the stock and orange juice and bring to a simmer.  Season with the smoked paprika and salt and pepper to taste.  Simmer for 30 minutes.

Remove the soup from the heat and using an immersion blender, process to a smooth puree.  (If you like, at this point, pour the soup through a fine mesh sieve to insure that no lumps or pieces of eggplant skin remain.  This isn’t necessary but it will give a nice, smooth result.)

Stir in the cream along with the parsley and chives.  Taste and, if necessary, adjust the seasoning.  The flavor should be a bit smoky, but mild.

If serving chilled, place the soup in an ice bath and stir occasionally to speed cooling.  May be stored, covered and refrigerated, for up to 2 days.

If you want to “fancy-up” the soup, garnish with a few garlic croutons or one lovely little slice of toasted garlicky baguette, a swirl of heavy cream, a dollop of thick yogurt, a sprinkle of chopped chives and a chive blossom, or, if you really want to wow, slice some eggplant paper-thin and either grill it or bake it to make eggplant chips to accompany the soup.