Chilled Eggplant Soup With Red Bell Pepper And Olives

By á-174942

Ingredients

• 1 large eggplant - (abt 1 1/4 lbs) halved lengthwise
• 1 large red bell pepper
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 cups plain low-fat yogurt
• 1 cup low-fat (1%) milk
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
• 3 garlic cloves peeled
• Salt to taste
• Freshly-ground black pepper to taste
• 1 1/2 cups canned vegetable broth or more if needed
• 6 Kalamata olives or other brine-cured
• black olives pitted, chopped

Details

Servings 4

Preparation

Step 1

Prepare barbecue (medium heat). Grill eggplant until skin is charred and flesh is soft, about 6 minutes per side. Grill bell pepper until brown in spots, turning frequently, about 10 minutes. Transfer eggplant and pepper to bowl. Cover with foil and let stand 30 minutes. Peel, seed and dice red bell pepper. Set aside.

Scoop eggplant from skin and transfer flesh to blender; discard skin. Stir cumin in heavy small skillet over low heat until lightly toasted, about 2 minutes. Add cumin to blender; then add yogurt, milk, olive oil, 1 tablespoon mint and garlic. Blend until very smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Transfer soup to large bowl. Mix in 1 1/2 cups broth. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour. (Bell pepper and soup can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover separately and refrigerate. Before serving, thin soup with more vegetable broth, if desired.)

Mix bell pepper, remaining 1 tablespoon mint and olives in small bowl. Ladle eggplant soup into bowls. Sprinkle with bell pepper mixture; serve.

This recipe yields 4 servings.

Per serving: calories, 152; total fat, 5 g; saturated fat, 1 g; cholesterol, 5 mg.