Eggplant Lentil Soup

When I was in Florida a few weeks ago, I came across a classic flavor combination that I hadn’t experienced much: eggplant lentil soup. I was intrigued and ordered a cup, but found the soup to be bland and basically nothing special. I then proceeded to spend the rest of the meal thinking about how to turn those flavors into an incredible soup.

The answer came this week when I recreated it in my kitchen. The first key is to roast the eggplant to lessen its natural bitterness and enhance its other flavors. This requires almost no work and takes just 25 minutes in the oven.

At the same time, simmer the lentils with onions, garlic and broth, then bring out the secret weapon: the blender or food processor! Use it to puree the whole mess into a luscious, thick soup.

And finally, enhance the natural and fairly neutral flavors of the eggplant and lentils with spices. I used curry powder, which offered the perfect level of aromatic spice.

Originally I’d planned on eating the soup on its own, and even did one day this week when I brought the leftovers for lunch. But the night I made it, I had some leftover baked cod in the refrigerator and added it to the soup for a complete meal. It was AMAZING!

Cod is a healthy, flaky, neutral-flavored fish that added just the right level of texture to the soup without changing the flavor. In the end, I had a healthy, nutritious and filling meal, with plenty of leftovers to last throughout the week.

Here’s the recipe for Eggplant Lentil Soup:

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Lamb Lentil Stew with Pomegranate Molasses

This past week has been culinarily challenging for me, mostly due to a severe case of foodblock. Sure, I cooked tasty food this week, but it hasn’t been anything new and exciting. What I really needed was inspiration.

Backtrack to a month ago when @SuperDaniela was in town and we walked down to The Spice House in Old Town, one of my favorite shopping spots. We spent a good amount of time walking around smelling the merchandise, something you can’t do just anywhere.

At one point I came across bottles of pomegranate molasses, an ingredient I’d never heard of. Daniela was familiar with it and told me it’s popular in Middle Eastern cuisine and often used as a marinade or glaze for meat or chicken. Interesting to learn, I filed that tidbit away in the my head for a later date.

Well, a later date came this weekend when I was starved for inspiration and needed an adventurous and challenging new ingredient to get me back in the kitchen. So I walked back over to The Spice House and bought a small bottle of pomegranate molasses for $3.56. Then, after much internal back-and-forth, I decided to make a stew with lamb, lentils and pomegranate molasses.

The lamb, lentils and fresh herbs create a filling and earthy stew while the pomegranate molasses gives it a tangy kick, offset by a smidgen of smoked paprika. The flavor is unique but in an appealing, exotic way.

As for me, I’m just happy I got my cooking mojo back.

Here’s the recipe for lamb lentil stew with pomegranate molasses:

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