- Hey guys, welcome back to the channel.
Happy New Year.
I hope that everybody had a fantastic holiday season.
I know that I did.
So I thought that we would kick things off
with a really wonderful soup recipe.
It's my roasted eggplant and tomato soup
with garlicky croutons.
I love this recipe because it's so easy to put together
and in the middle of winter
it feels like a middle of summer.
Let me show you how to put it together.
So the first thing we're gonna do is prep the croutons.
So for these croutons
I really like to use a day old baguette.
I find that they tend to work best for this.
So you can go ahead
and cut your baguette into one inch cubes.
You're looking for about two cups.
And you wanna pop them in a large bowl
and then to that you're gonna add a tablespoon of olive oil,
a clove of minced garlic,
a little salt and pepper to taste,
and then a quarter teaspoon of Herbs de Provence.
So if you the December Entertainment Best Subscription Box,
this is another way
you can use those fabulous Herbs de Provence.
Then you just wanna toss this up
until all that bread is coated
with the oil and the seasoning.
And then you're gonna transfer it out
onto a rimmed, lined cookie sheet,
into a single layer.
Then you're gonna bake this at 375 degrees Fahrenheit
for just about 15 minutes,
or until they start to turn golden brown and fragrant.
Then you can pull them out
and allow them to just rest there at room temperature.
So now for the soup.
We're gonna take a whole eggplant
and dice it into one inch cubes,
and then you're gonna pop it on a sheet tray.
And then you can set that aside.
Then you're gonna take a second tray
and take some Roma tomatoes that you've sliced in half
and lay those on a single layer.
And then to that you also wanna add two cloves of garlic
that you have just thinly sliced.
This is the funny thing about garlic,
if you mince it or chop it and put it on a tray like this
it's gonna burn and not have such great of a flavor.
If you slice it,
it's gonna caramelize and have a really sweet flavor.
It's all in the cutting.
So just go ahead and thinly slice it
and place it all on top of those tomatoes.
(gentle, melodic music)
Then each tray is going to get one tablespoon of olive oil,
salt and pepper,
and a quarter teaspoon of dried oregano.
So it's a half a teaspoon total,
but each tray will take about a quarter.
And then you're gonna put them
in a 425 degree Fahrenheit oven,
on different racks, for 10 minutes.
And then after that's up, you're gonna switch the racks
and go for another 10 minutes.
And then once they're done, you can pull them out,
and then you wanna add these vegetables to a large soup pot.
And then to that you're gonna add
32 ounces of your favorite vegetable broth.
This is another reason why I like this soup
is it's completely vegan.
So for any of my vegan subscribers out there
this is a good one for you.
And then you're also gonna add a tablespoon of tomato paste.
And then you can just sort of stir that up
and let it simmer for about 10 minutes.
And at this point I really like to use an immersion blender,
because I find that they're easier
than having to transfer hot soup into a blender,
and this is a great soup to do that
because of the second reason is I like it kind of chunky.
Smooth, but little chunks.
So an immersion blender will prevent you
from blending it too much.
But if you don't have an immersion blender
you certainly could use a regular blender too.
Then all you have to do is check it for seasoning.
You might wanna add a little salt and pepper,
but really those vegetables are so seasoned
with the salt and pepper we added before we roasted them
that you probably don't even need to add that.
Top with a little fresh basil.
And then you're also gonna top with your garlic croutons.
And there you go.
You've got a delicious soup
that is perfect for the winter time.
I hope you guys give it a try
and let me know what you think.
And I'll see you back here next week
when we are going to tackle
some healthy breakfast smoothies.
Until then, bye.