Gnomish Chicken Eggplant Soup
Today I’ll be sharing a late-summer Chicken Eggplant Soup recipe from the Gnomes of Dun Morogh in Azeroth [World of Warcraft]. This is perfect for the time when the weather is just starting to get colder out and everyone is excited about soup season but there are still summer veggies in the gardens or at farmers markets.
This uses herbs and vegetables that are all in season at the same time – eggplants, red bell peppers, and fresh parsley and oregano. Gnomes are very resourceful and love putting things together. Like many of their famous inventions, this has a lot of parts, and it all comes together with perfect balance. They serve this soup with a hearty bread brought from nearby Ironforge.
Roasting the eggplant in the oven before adding it to the soup helps the pieces to hold together and keep a pleasant texture, even the next day. Try this delicious soup for yourself and see whether it sparks your imagination like it does for the Gnomes!
Gnomish Chicken & Eggplant Soup
Equipment
- 1 medium bowl
- 1 large soup pot or dutch oven
- 1 baking sheet
- 1 whisk
Ingredients
- 1 to 1-1/2 lbs eggplant peeled and diced (½-inch cubes)
- ¼ cup plus 1 Tbsp avocado oil or olive oil divided
- 1 ½ tsp table salt divided
- ¼ tsp ground pepper
- 1 medium white onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 medium red bell pepper diced
- 2 Tbsp sweet Hungarian paprika
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 ½ Tbsp chopped fresh oregano
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- 7 cups chicken broth or veggie broth
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 large eggs
- 6 tsp all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup lemon juice fresh squeezed if available; about 1 lemon
Optional ideas for serving:
- Crusty bread
- Cooked white rice to pour soup over
- Lemon wedges
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Prep all ingredients (wash and cut up). This is important so the veggies do not burn later.
- Toss eggplant in a medium bowl with 1/4 cup oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Spread in a single layer on a large rimmed baking sheet. Roast for 10 minutes. Turn the eggplant over and roast until very soft, 8 to 10 minutes more. *NOTE: This part can be done up to one day in advance; just keep the roasted eggplant in the fridge until soup time.
- Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Stir in bell pepper and garlic and cook, uncovered, for 2 minutes more.
- Sprinkle paprika and cayenne over the vegetables and stir until well coated.
- Stir in the eggplant, parsley, oregano, turmeric and ginger until well mixed.
- Add broth and chicken. Bring to a boil over high heat.
- Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Whisk half-and-half, egg yolks, and cornstarch in a medium bowl. Stir in 1 cup of the hot broth until combined. Gradually stir this mixture back into the pot, taking care that it does not boil, which will scramble the eggs.
- Whisk in lemon juice and season with the remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Serve with lemon wedges, if desired.
