Roasted Eggplant & Lentil Soup with Fried Sage

I made this healthy and hearty soup with beautiful eggplant from a friend’s garden. I was also able to make one of my favorite eggplant dishes with her amazing harvest, Eggplant and Wild Mushroom “Meatballs.”

The soup was initially more fluid, but I preferred it re-heated and cooked down, as pictured. We scooped it up with fresh Portuguese Rolls. Perfect.

The recipe was adapted from Food and Wine, contributed by Clark Frasier and Mark Gaier.

Yield: Serves 4

• one 1 1/4-pound eggplant, quartered lengthwise (I used 2 small)
• 2 T extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper 
• 1 cup French green lentils (5 1/2 ounces) 
• 14 large sage leaves, divided, plus more, as desired, for garnish
• 2 cups chicken stock (can substitute vegetable stock for a vegetarian version)
• 1 cup 1% milk 
• 1 T fresh lemon juice

1. Preheat the oven to 400°. (I set my oven to convection roast.)
2. Place the eggplant quarters on a rimmed baking sheet, skin side down. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake until the eggplant is very tender, about 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, cover the lentils with 2 inches of water. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 2 sage leaves and bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat until the lentils are tender, about 20 minutes. Drain the lentils in a colander and discard the sage leaves.
4. Scrape the eggplant flesh into a blender; discard the skin. Add 1 cup of the stock and puree until smooth; transfer to a clean saucepan. (I used a Vitamix.)
5. Add the lentils and the remaining 1 cup of stock to the blender and puree until smooth. Add the lentil puree to the eggplant puree in the saucepan.
6. Stir the milk and lemon juice into the soup and bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper; keep the soup hot over low heat, stirring occasionally.
7. In a small skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the remaining 12 sage leaves and cook over moderate heat until crisp, about 20 seconds per side.
8. Ladle the soup into bowls, garnish with the fried sage leaves and serve.

The soup can be refrigerated overnight. Reheat gently.

Red Lentil Soup with Lemon

I have two hearty soups to share. Perfect to serve for dinner on a chilly night. This red lentil soup is healthy, delicious, and quick to prepare.

This recipe was adapted from The New York Times, contributed by Melissa Clark. I doubled the recipe, modified the proportions, and puréed the finished soup to create a uniform texture. I served it with warm naan and green salad.

Yield: 8 servings

• 6 tablespoons olive oil, more for drizzling
• 2 large yellow onions, chopped
• 8 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 T tomato paste
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt, more to taste
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp ground Chile powder, more to taste
• 1/4 tsp cayenne, more to taste
• 2 quarts chicken or vegetable stock (I used 1 quart of homemade turkey stock & 1 quart of chicken stock)
• 4 cups water
• 2 cups red lentils
• 3 large carrots, peeled and diced
• juice and zest of 1 lemon, more to taste
• 6 T chopped fresh cilantro, more for garnish

1. In a large pot, heat oil over high heat until hot and shimmering.
2. Add onion and garlic, and sauté until golden, about 4 minutes.
3. Stir in tomato paste, cumin, salt, black pepper, chili powder, and cayenne, and sauté for 2 minutes longer.
4. Add stock, water, lentils and carrots. Bring to a simmer, then partially cover pot and turn heat to medium-low. Simmer until lentils are soft, about 30 minutes.
5. Taste and add salt if necessary.
6. Using an immersion or regular blender or a food processor, purée the soup then add it back to pot.
7. Reheat soup if necessary, then stir in lemon juice and cilantro.
8. Serve soup drizzled with good olive oil and dusted lightly with chili powder, if desired. Garnish with additional minced cilantro as well, if desired.

Green-Lentil Curry

I just feel so healthy eating a dish like this. 🙂 Served over brown rice with yogurt and warm naan, this dish is an amazing complete vegetarian meal. The lentils have a little bit of heat and the yogurt tempers it perfectly.

This recipe was adapted from Food and Wine, contributed by Madhur Jaffrey. It was voted one of their “Best New Vegetarian” dishes. I believe it! 🙂 I doubled the recipe, used French green lentils, a combination of ghee and coconut oil, and substituted beet and turnip greens for the kale. Satisfying and tasty!

Yield: Serves 6 to 8

• 2 teaspoon finely grated ginger
• 4 garlic clove, put through a garlic press
  
• 4 teaspoons ground coriander
  
• 2 teaspoon ground cumin
  
• 3 tablespoons ghee
• 3 tablespoons coconut oil
  
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
  
• 2 large shallots, minced
  
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste mixed with 2 tablespoon of water
  
• 2 1/2 cups dried French green lentils
  
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
  
• 8 ounces green beans, cut into 3/4-inch lengths
  
• 8 ounces kale, or other greens stemmed and leaves cut into ribbons (I used about 10 cups of mixed beet & turnip greens)
  
• 2 medium carrots, thinly sliced
  
• 2 cups finely chopped cilantro
  
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  
• coarse salt, to taste
• brown Basmati rice, warm naan, and plain Greek yogurt, for serving

1. In a small bowl, combine the ginger, garlic, coriander and ground cumin. Stir in 1/2 cup of water to make a paste.
2. In a small skillet, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the cumin seeds and cook over moderately high heat for 5 seconds, just until sizzling.
3. Add the shallot and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Add the spice paste and let cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 2 minutes.
4. Stir in the tomato paste and cook until thick, about 1 minute longer. 
   
5. In a saucepan, combine the lentils with the turmeric and 10 cups of water; bring to a boil. Cover partially and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes, until the lentils are barely tender.
6. Add the green beans, greens, carrot, three-fourths of the cilantro and the cayenne and season with salt.
7. Cook until the lentils and vegetables are tender, 15 minutes.
8. Scrape in the spice paste and the remaining cilantro. Simmer for 5 minutes, then serve.
   

One Year Ago:

• Pad Se Ew #2

Two Years Ago:

• Pasta with Greens, Caramelized Onions, & Garlicky Bread Crumbs
• Sautéed Greens with Bacon & Mustard Seeds

Three Years Ago:

• Spicy Fresh Tomato Sauce