A Month of Soups: Eggplant Soup

A lot of people told me they don't like eggplant. I get that. But, this soup has conversion power!

It's almost a vegetarian recipe, well, except for the beef and pork! But, if you took those out, I’ll bet you’d still like the soup this makes. It is a very flavorful with the unexpected honey and spices.

Of course, removing the meats makes the soup serve fewer people.

Eggplant Soup (serves 8-10)

1 T olive oil

1 med onion, diced

½ pound ground beef

½ pound ground pork

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 ½# eggplant, cubed

4 medium carrots, cut into coins

1½ ribs celery, diced

2 cans diced tomatoes with seasonings

4 c vegetable broth

2 t honey

1 t nutmeg

1 cinnamon stick

2 end rinds of parmesan cheese, 1-2” long

½ c quinoa

1 T fresh parsley, chopped

½ c Asiago cheese

In Dutch oven, heat olive oil on medium high. Add onions, carrots, and celery. Add garlic after a couple of three minutes. When onion is translucent, remove mixture from pot. Add beef and pork. Cook until no longer pink.

Turn heat to medium-low. Add eggplant and salt. Cook covered for 5-10 minutes, until eggplant has softened and reduced in size. Add in onion mixture. Cook for five minutes, stirring continually. Add tomatoes and broth. Cook until mixture comes to a slow simmer.

Add honey, spices and end rinds of parmesan cheese. Simmer for 30 minutes.

Add in quinoa and simmer for another 20 minutes. Remove cinnamon stick and rinds (if you can find the pieces) and discard. Serve in bowls with parsley and Asiago cheese on top. Great with ciabatta bread and fruit slices.

DH’s Rating: 4.3 Tongues Up! He’s not an eggplant fan, but he really liked this soup. He was surprised at some of the ingredients that gave depth to the soup, like the cinnamon stick and cheese rinds.

A Month of Soups: Pork Posole

Here we are at Day 5 of a Month of Soups. Are you keeping up?

Alli and Gina in my culinary mystery series, “Dinner is Served”, love to make soups and stews. They are nourishing comfort food. Even though there are relatively few cold days in Arizona, still, we do get a touch chilly, so soups are great to eat.

Here’s one of their favorites with a nod to Southwest cuisine. Posole (pronounced POE-SOLE-AY) is a standard stew/soup. Serve with corn bread and hunks of sharp cheddar cheese and tart apple slices for a satisfying dinner.

As with all soups, posole is better the next day or at least several hours later. I always make my soup no later than the morning of the day I am serving it for dinner. Let the flavors and textures get to know one another.

Alli and Gina’s Pork Posole (serves 8)

1 T olive oil

1-1 ½# pork roast, cubed, fresh or leftover

2 c diced onions

4 cloves of garlic, sliced

4 c poultry stock or broth

1 cinnamon stick

¼ t ground cloves

½ t cumin

2 cans (15.5 oz) yellow hominy

2 cans (15.5 oz) white hominy

small can (4 oz) diced green chilies (adding other kinds of peppers can up the heat level)

If the pork is fresh, put in freezer for ½ hour to stiffen it up, then cut into cubes.

Brown the cubes in heated olive oil over medium heat. Remove.

Add onions to the pot and bring to translucence. Add garlic slices. Cook for two more minutes, stirring as you wait.

Add in pork and stir around to coat the meat.

Add broth, cinnamon stick, cloves, and cumin. Stir. Add in white and yellow hominy and chilies. Bring to a simmer. Cook for 45 minutes. Remove from heat and cool until ready to serve. Remove cinnamon stick and re-heat. Serve.

Sometimes I make this with chicken. Delish that way, too!

DH’s rating: 4 Tongues Up! This is filling and has a wonderful blend of flavors and textures.