ROASTED EGGPLANT SOUP WITH MOZZARELLA CROUTONS

Ingredients:
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1.5 lb Japanese eggplant, halved lengthwise
1 red bell pepper, halved lengthwise and seeded
4 tblsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 onions, unpeeled and halved lengthwise
3 plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise
8 garlic cloves
1 tblsp unsalted butter
3 fresh thyme sprigs, chopped fine
3 fresh oregano sprigs, chopped fine
3 fresh basil sprigs, chopped fine
8 cups chicken broth
1 bay leaf, crumbled
12 1/4-inch-thick slices of French bread, toasted
3/4 lb goat's milk mozzarella, grated coarsely
Instructions:
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In a bowl coat the eggplant and the bell pepper lightly with 1
tablespoon of the oil and season the vegetables with salt and pepper.
In a foil-lined roasting pan arrange the eggplant, skin sides down, the
bell pepper, skin sides up, the onions, cut sides down, and the
tomatoes, cut sides down, and roast the vegetables in the upper third of
a pre-heated 400degree F. oven for 10 minutes. Put the garlic in the
pan near the tomatoes, roast the vegetables for 30 to 40 minutes more,
or until the bell pepper is charred, and let them cool. Remove the skin
from the bell pepper and the onions and coarsely chop the eggplant, the
bell pepper, the onions, and the garlic.
In a large kettle melt the butter with the remaining 3 tablespoons oil
over moderately high heat, add the chopped vegetables including the
garlic, the tomatoes, the thyme, the oregano, the basil, and enough of
the broth to just cover the mixture, and bring the mixture to a boil.
Add the bay leaf and simmer the soup for 30 minutes, or until it is
thickened slightly. In a blender or food processor puree the soup in
batches, transferring it as it is pureed to the cleaned kettle (the soup
will be thick and textured, flecked with black bits of the eggplant),
and heat it with the remaining broth over moderately low heat until it
is heated through.
Arrange the bread slices on a baking sheet, sprinkle them with
mozzarella, and broil the croutons under a preheated broiler about 4
inches from the heat for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the cheese is golden.
Ladle the soup into 6 bowls and top each serving with 2 croutons.
Serves 6.
(Also, instead of full slices as croutons, after broiling, with a sharp
knife the toasted bread can be cut into smaller croutons and sprinkled
onto the soup)