Although we all know spring to be the time of year when some of our favourite fruit and vegetables such as juicy apricots, crisp green beans, first season berries, sweet green peas, crunchy snow peas, juicy cucumbers and tomatoes return to our local market we can often forget about some of the less obvious spring vegetables returning to market. Eggplant is one of those less famous vegetables that comes back into its element at this time of year. Or possibly you didn’t even know it had left, or thanks to our ever shrinking planet maybe it never did leave. If that is the case, you may ask why should I celebrate this vegetable at this time of year? Well trust me, everything tastes better when you make it in season using locally grown produce rather than produce that has flown economy-class from a far off place.
With its distinctive smoky flavour, the miso in the background and the slightest chilli kick, this soup is a perfect way to celebrate the return of good eggplant to your local market. Plus it is a pretty simple recipe and an easy way to show off!