The cold eggplant velouté is a tasty and refreshing summer first course, a sort of thick and creamy summer soup, flavored and garnished with typical Mediterranean ingredients: diced cherry tomatoes, basil, mint, oregano, and Parmigiano flakes. A very simple but impressive recipe, ideal for fighting the heat and offering your loved ones a cold first course different from the usual cold pasta salads or rice salads. Traditional Mediterranean cuisine offers several variations of eggplant cream: the Turkish and Lebanese babaganoush, the Greek melitzanosalata, and “eggplant caviar“, very popular in Sicily. However, these versions are usually used as “dips,” that is, sauces served as appetizers or to accompany meat and meatballs. The cold eggplant velouté, on the other hand, can be served as a soup, just like the Andalusian gazpacho, possibly accompanied by toasted bread croutons. It’s a refreshing and nutritious dish that will surprise and delight your guests during the hot summer days.
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- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very economical
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 2People
- Cooking methods: Microwave
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Summer
- Energy 264.41 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 31.81 (g) of which sugars 14.20 (g)
- Proteins 7.10 (g)
- Fat 14.08 (g) of which saturated 1.73 (g)of which unsaturated 0.77 (g)
- Fibers 11.17 (g)
- Sodium 509.85 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 300 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for eggplant gazpacho
- 25 oz black oval eggplants
- 1 clove garlic (optional)
- A few leaves mint
- A few leaves basil
- 7 oz water (very cold)
- to taste salt
- to taste pepper
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1.4 oz cherry tomatoes
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch oregano
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1.4 oz bread (gluten-free for me)
- to taste Parmigiano Reggiano flakes
Tools
- 1 Microwave oven
- 1 Strainer
- 1 Mixer large
- 1 Grater with large holes
- 1 Garlic press
How to prepare eggplant gazpacho
To prepare the cold eggplant velouté, you will need the cooked eggplant pulp: the best method, especially in summer, is to cook the eggplants in the microwave as indicated here. If you don’t have a microwave, you can cook them in the oven: in both cases, after washing and drying them, prick them with a fork in several spots (1).
If using a traditional oven, place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and bake at 392°F for about 45 minutes, turning them halfway through, until they are soft and wilted (2). Let them cool, then peel them (3).
Also add, if you like, a clove of garlic crushed with the garlic press (6). Add the water to the mixer as well (7). If you add very cold water, just taken from the fridge, you will shorten the resting time and you can almost immediately enjoy your cold eggplant velouté.
Blend thoroughly until you obtain a thick and homogeneous mixture (8). According to your taste, you can dilute it more if you find it too dense. Let the eggplant velouté rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Meanwhile, wash the cherry tomatoes and cut them into very small pieces (9).
Transfer them to a bowl and season with salt, oregano, and oil (10). Mix well. Toast the bread slices and cut them into cubes to make croutons. Grate the Parmigiano cheese with a large-hole grater or make flakes with a vegetable peeler. Just before serving the eggplant velouté, divide it into 2 single-serving bowls. Garnish each bowl with the diced cherry tomatoes and some of their oil, a few fresh basil leaves, the bread croutons, and the Parmigiano flakes (11).
Serve the cold eggplant velouté immediately. With these quantities, you will get two nice velouté dishes, suitable to be served as a first course for two people. Alternatively, if you want to serve the velouté as an appetizer in smaller bowls, the quantities are sufficient for 4 people.
Storage
You can store the eggplant gazpacho in the refrigerator for 3 or 4 days.
Tips and Variations
You can flavor the dish with your preferred herbs: in addition to or instead of those indicated, you can use thyme, marjoram, or chives.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
What can I use instead of Parmigiano cheese?
For this recipe, you can also use salted ricotta or hard ricotta, which with its salty taste contrasts well with the sweetness of the eggplants.
