Smoky Eggplant Soup with Lamb {Whole30}
Rarely do you see a recipe and think, “Oooh! I bet that would be awesome if I burnt it!” Eggplant might be one of the few exceptions. You know that’s the only secret to baba ghanoush? And I quote, “The trick behind the smokiness? You pretty much just burn the shit out of your eggplant.”
It doesn’t look very appetizing, but wait until you scoop out the inside. Mmmm. Soup is the ultimate comfort food, and this one is no exception.
Some people feel guilty eating lamb, I feel guilty about how much money I spend on it. I’ve eaten for an entire week for not much more than the cost of this lamb leg, and I certainly recognize that this is the reality for many families. That said, a low-cost dinner out would set me back more than all of the ingredients for six servings of this soup, lamb included. Still, it’s definitely on my mind when I put items like this in my grocery cart. The good news is that you can make a vegetarian, low-cost version of this soup that I’m confident would be just as delicious. Instead of the lamb leg, try garnishing your bowl with pomegranate seeds and crumbled goat cheese!
Smoked Eggplant Soup with Lamb
Adapted from Paleo Porn
- 2 large eggplant
- 1 tablespoon olive
- 2lbs boneless lamb leg
- 4 cups (1 qt) chicken broth
- 2 cups water
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 lb sweet potato, chopped
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 cinnamon stick
- Salt, to taste
- Set oven to broil. Score the eggplants with a knife in a few places and place on a baking sheet directly under the broiler for about one hour. You want the skin to burn. Turn with tongs every 20 minutes or so. Continue to cook even if they burst or break. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Melt olive oil in a dutch oven or large pot over medium heat and brown lamb leg.
- Once meat is browned on all sides add chicken broth, water, onion, garlic and pinch of sea salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and let simmer for an hour.
- Remove the lamb from the pan with a slotted spoon and let cool.
- Add potatoes, cumin, garlic powder, turmeric and cinnamon to the pan, stir well and bring back to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes, until the potatoes have softened.
- Scoop the flesh of eggplant into the soup pot.
- Meanwhile, cut the meat off the bones and shred.
- Remove the pan from the heat and cool slightly. Remove and discard the cinnamon stick. Ladle the soup into a blender in batches and process until smooth or use a stick blender/immersion blender to process the soup until smooth.
- Ladle soup into a bowl, garnish with lamb, season to taste with salt & pepper and serve!
Serves 6 (12 oz soup, 3 oz lamb)
