Tomato Sausage and Eggplant Soup – Oh Olive

Ingredients

• 1 cup Delizia Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 Tbsp Delizia Garlic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 4 1/2 cups eggplants, unpeeled and cut into 1/2 cubes
• 1 1/2 tsp Galena Garlic Company Pink Hawaiian Sea Salt
• 1 1/2 cups onions, chopped
• 1/2 cup fennel or 1/2 cup celery chopped
• 2 Tbsp garlic, minced
• 2 tsp fennel seeds, ground
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 1/4 tsp dried thyme
• 1 lb. sweet Italian sausage, casing removed
• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 1 (29 oz) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 (28 oz) can whole canned tomatoes, chopped