The Colors & Flavors of Fall

“Everyone must take time to sit and watch the leaves turn.”
– Elizabeth Lawrence

Good Morning! I hope you had a great weekend and spent some time outdoors. After a fun mother/daughter shopping day on Saturday, I was determined to spend some time outside on Sunday. So with little Ruby by my side, I laced up my walking shoes and threw my camera aross my chest. What a beautiful day for a long quiet stroll.

I love these colors of fall almost as much as I love this little dog!

If you haven’t done so already, spend some time outside this week. The colors change quickly and the leaves fall faster than we’d hope. Find a trail and lace up your shoes!

The numbered days of Autumn are waiting.

And when you get home, enjoy a bowl of soup and freshly baked bread!

When I was down in Burlington meeting with Martha to discuss writing a cookbook, I took a cup of her Roasted Eggplant and Tomato Soup with me to enjoy for lunch. I wasn’t so sure about the “eggplant”…but I figured if Martha was serving it at The Ivy, it HAD to be good! I was oh-so right. After I finished my little cup of soup, I was wishing I had ordered a bowl. 🙂

With that, I emailed Martha and asked if she would share the recipe with us. And she did! Thank you, Martha!

ROASTED EGGPLANT & TOMATO SOUP

By Martha Wolf, The IVY

3 pounds Eggplant, sliced lengthwise in half
5 medium Tomatoes, cut in half
3 tablespoons Olive Oil, plus more for roasting
1 head of Garlic
1 medium Onion, chopped
3 tablespoons Tomato paste
28 ounces of Chicken Stock

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Liberally brush cut side of eggplants and tomatoes with olive oil; place on cookie sheet with cut side eggplant down, and cut side tomatoes up . Cut top off head of Garlic. Drizzle olive oil over garlic, wrap in foil and roast in oven with vegetables. Roast at 400 – 425 degrees for 30-35 minutes, checking after 20 minutes.

Add olive oil to large pan and sauté onion until soft. Add tomato paste and stir for about 2 minutes.

Clean out the eggplant pulp and discard skins, and de-skin tomatoes. Squeeze out the cooked garlic from the shells and add garlic, eggplant and tomatoes to onion mixture. S tir in chicken broth. Bring to a simmer and simmer about 10 minutes. Puree mixture in food processor. Season with salt and pepper. Enjoy.

Makes 10 cups of soup. Freezes well.

We served ours with freshly baked bread….and Ryan kicked his bowl up a notch (he likes everything to be spicy!) with a dash or two of cayenne pepper. I’m not going to lie, that option was really good too!