Roasted eggplant soup with parmesan

Ingredients

for 4 servings

• Eggplant500 g (17.6 oz)
• Chicken stock250 g (8.8 oz)
• Heavy cream100 g (3.5 oz)
• Parmesan40 g (1.4 oz)
• Olive oil30 g (1.1 oz)
• Garlic3 g
• Thyme5 g

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 210 °C (410 °F) (fan). Halve the eggplants lengthways, brush the flesh with olive oil, season with salt and set the unpeeled garlic cloves alongside.
2. Bake for 35 minutes, until the flesh is meltingly soft and nicely golden.
3. Scoop out the eggplant flesh with a spoon and peel the roasted garlic, then blitz them with the hot chicken stock until smooth.
4. Add the heavy cream and the grated parmesan, then blitz again until you have a smooth, even soup.
5. Warm through gently in a saucepan without boiling, and adjust the salt and pepper.
6. Serve piping hot, scattered with picked fresh thyme.