Roasted Elephant Garlic Soup with Grilled Eggplant Recipe

• 4 heads elephant garlic
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 4 leeks (white part only), coarsely chopped
• 1 medium yellow onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 russet potato, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 8 cups (2 quarts) low-sodium chicken broth, vegetable broth, or water
• Kosher salt and white pepper, to taste
• 1 cup basil leaves
• Kosher salt, to taste
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 Japanese eggplant, thinly sliced and grilled

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Cut off the top 1/4 inch of each garlic head.
3. Place garlic heads in a small, shallow baking dish and drizzle oil over them.
4. Bake until golden, about 1 hour.
5. Cool slightly.
6. Press individual garlic cloves between your thumb and finger to release them.
7. In a large saucepan place the garlic, leeks, onion, potato, and wine.
8. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook until the wine is reduced by half its volume.
9. Add the stock or water and salt and pepper and simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
10. Cool slightly.
11. Working in batches, puree the mixture in a blender until smooth.
12. If the soup is too thick, thin by adding stock or water.
13. Taste and adjust seasonings.
14. Blanch the basil leaves by placing them in boiling salted water for 15 to 20 seconds and then immediately plunging them into an ice water bath.
15. Remove leaves from the ice water and pat dry.
16. Place basil leaves in the bowl of a food processor.
17. Add salt.
18. With the machine running, slowly drizzle in the oil until a smooth puree is formed.
19. You may have to scrape the sides of the bowl several times in order to puree all of the leaves.
20. Ladle the soup into warm bowls.
21. Place grilled eggplant in the center of each bowl and top with basil puree.

garlic, olive oil, leeks, yellow onion, russet potato, white wine, chicken broth, kosher salt, basil, kosher salt, extravirgin olive oil, japanese eggplant

Taken from www.chowhound.com/recipes/roasted-elephant-garlic-soup-with-grilled-eggplant-10154 (may not work)