Cream Of Eggplant Soup

1 lb Eggplant

Salt 2 oz Butter

1 md Onion, finely diced

2 Stalks celery, diced

1 t Curry powder

1 pn Thyme

1 pn Basil

4 c stock

1 c Potato, diced

1/2 c Cream

Salt Pepper Diced tomato, for garnish Chopped chives, for garnish Dice the eggplant but do not peel. Sprinkle a little salt over the eggplant and leave to stand for about 30 minutes. Put in a strainer and run a little water over the dice, pat dry. This removes any bitter taste which would spoil the soup. Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the onion, celery and eggplant. Saute', stirring occasionally until the vegetables have slightly softened. Eggplant absorbs butter very rapidly so you may have to add a little more or the vegetables will stick. Add the curry powder and fry to release the flavors. Add thyme, basil, chicken stock and the potato. Cover and simmer until the vegetables are quite soft, about 30 minutes.

Put the soup through a sieve or moulin and add the cream. Taste for seasoning. Add a little diced tomato or chopped chives for garnish and color. This soup keeps well for several days. However, if you intend making it beforehand and keeping it, only add the cream when you reheat it. It thickens as it stands, but it can be thinned with a little milk. From "A Taste of Class" by Beverley Sutherland Smith Posted by Steve Herrick. Courtesy of Fred Peters.