Crunchy Eggplant / Smooth and Creamy Soup

It's no secret that good food has just as much to do with color and texture as with taste. Perhaps, I might venture to say, good food has most to do with color and texture. The taste buds may be fooled by the prettiness of a plate, but it's no small feat to talk one's palate into enjoying a dish that looks depressing, and for good reason. It probably tastes depressing, too.

Those perennially unpopular foods -- liver, cottage cheese, canned peas, sardines (this last, however, a favorite of mine) -- will never woo a doubter with their looks. And, should they make the leap from plate to mouth, are less likely to please with their consistencies, be they chalky, slimy, pasty, or full of tiny bones.

I have mentioned elsewhere my cravings for crunch in almost whatever form I can acquire it: popcorn with salt and pepper, chips and homeade salsa, toasted bread rubbed with garlic and set beneath any number of toppings, and, yes, even raw carrots and cauliflower when the pantry has been cleared of carbohydrates. Despite my relatively recent adventure in deep frying, this craving has not abated. I found myself again hovering over a skillet of sputtering peanut oil, and watching with watering mouth as breadcrumb-coated disks of eggplant crisped and turned golden brown. When topped with glob of mozzarella, a tangy roasted tomato, and a wee piece of salty olive, I dare say they made perfect little packages of color and texture, moist eggplant flesh wrapped in crunch.

But my longing for crunchiness is not without an almost as deep, but much less fervent, longing for foodstuffs on the smooth and creamy end of the texture spectrum. You could say that the crunch yin must be balanced by the soothing yang of freshly whipped cream, milkshakes, slightly warm camembert, and smooth soups. I might even slip a glass of mellow red wine into the category of yang. Now, it is my opinion that smooth and creamy can go very wrong, whereas crunchy runs almost no risk at all. A too-generous hand with mayonnaise has pushed many a smooth and creamy dish beyond the bounds of good looks and good taste. Cold, smooth, and creamy, sweets excepted, is a combination challenging to some, but this is just the combination I am offering here. If you or the ones you love find cold soups such as this doubtful, here are some guidelines, suggestions, and efforts in arm-twisting that may alleviate your texture concerns.

First, this soup is a hot weather soup. Cold, smooth, and creamy is not a lovable combination on a gray and rainy day. Second, the jalapenos make the magic. At first you taste the coolness of the cucumber and cilantro, then the rich avocado, then the hint of cumin, and then a little jolt of jalapeno. It's enough spice to make you want to take another soothing bite, which will, of course, be followed by more spice, and the process continues until you're scraping your bowl. Finally, you should by all means tinker with the amounts of sour cream, lime juice, and water until the texture seems right to you. Next time I will add more water, as the version I made was a little thick for my taste. But the perfect consistency, I must add, for dipping tortilla chips in the leftovers.

Eggplant Crisps
Properly speaking, this is a recipe for h'ors d'oeuvres from Martha Stewart's Hors d'Oeuvres Handbook (which just so happens to be one of my recently acquired Christmas-in-June presents). This recipe makes about a dozen little eggplant crisps, intended, I imagine, by Ms. Stewart to be passed on platters at cocktail parties. But I like to eat these sorts of flavor tid-bits more often than I manage to procure an invitation to a cocktail party, so I make them myself. This is a beautiful cookbook, by the way, even if you aren't in the habit of hosting such hors d'oeuvres-filled affairs. I've made a few changes to the recipe.


8 ounces mozzarella cheese
1 quart peanut oil for frying
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups japanese breadcrumbs (panko): these breadcrumbs really fry up lighter and airier than regular breadcrumbs, and they're not that hard to find in run of the mill grocery stores these days.
2 medium japanese, or other smallish eggplant, cut crosswise into 1/2 inch slices: I used graffiti eggplant, which I gather is from Holland, and is light purple with streaks of white
12 small cherry tomatoes, oven dried: you can dry your own tomatoes by tossing them with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper, and roasting them in a 275 degree oven for 30 minutes or so. I used store-bought roasted tomatoes which were nice because they were marinated in garlic oil. If you prefer, sundried tomatoes packed in oil would also work here.
6 oil-cured olives, or the black olives of your choice, cut in half
2 tablespoons fresh oregano

1. Cut mozzarella into small pieces. If using fresh mozzarella, place on a paper towel to drain.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees, with the rack in the center. Heat peanut oil in medium-sized deep skillet until the temperature on a frying thermometer readers 360 degrees. If you don't have a thermometer, don't fret. Just get the oil nice and hot. Place flour, seasoned with salt and pepper, and eggs in two separate shallow bowls. Place the breadcrumbs in a third shallow bowl. Dredge each eggplant slice in the flour, then dip into the beaten eggs, and finally into the breadcrumbs. I like a lot of crumbs, so I sort of mash them on both sides of the eggplant, then gently shake off the excess.
3. Fry the eggplant slices in batches until golden brown, turning them if necessary for even browning, 4-6 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel to drain.
4. Arrange the fried eggplant slices on a baking sheet. Top each slice with a piece or two of mozzarella, a tomato, and half an olive. (The crisps may be prepared up to this point and left at room temperature up to 3 hours: good news if you're throwing a party). Bake in the oven until cheese melts, 5-7 minutes. Top each with oregano, and a bit more salt and pepper. Serve hot.


Spicy Cucumber and Avocado Soup
From Gourmet July 2000, with modifications. Serves 4.

2 firm, but ripe avocados
2 cucumbers, seeded if they are seedy, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 (8 oz.) container low-fat sour cream
3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
1/2 cup packed fresh cilantro
1-2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 (or more) teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon (or more) chopped jalapeno chili with seeds
a few dashes of cumin
cold water, to achieve desired texture
garnish: diced avocado and chopped chives

Peel and pit the avocados. Blend all of ingredients in a blender (0r, if you are so fortunate as to have one, with an immersion blender) until very smooth. Add cold water until the soup achieves the texture you desire. Chill, covered with plastic wrap pressed down onto surface of soup. Serve garnished with diced avocado and chives. This is flavorful eating friendly to the skin-baring days of summer. Each serving has about 100 calories and 2 grams of fat.