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1
Preheat the oven to 400.
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2
Place the eggplant quarters on a rimmed baking sheet, skin side down.
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3
Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
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4
Bake until the eggplant is very tender, about 30 minutes.
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5
Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, cover the lentils with 2 inches of water.
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6
Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 2 sage leaves and bring to a boil.
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7
Simmer over low heat until the lentils are tender, about 20 minutes.
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8
Drain the lentils in a colander and discard the sage leaves.
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9
Scrape the eggplant flesh into a blender; discard the skin.
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10
Add 1 cup of the stock and puree until smooth; transfer to a clean saucepan.
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11
Add the lentils and the remaining 1 cup of stock to the blender and puree until smooth.
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12
Add the lentil puree to the eggplant puree in the saucepan.
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13
Stir the milk and lemon juice into the soup and bring to a simmer.
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14
Season with salt and pepper; keep the soup hot over low heat, stirring occasionally.
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15
In a small skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
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16
Add the remaining 12 sage leaves and cook over moderate heat until crisp, about 30 seconds per side.
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17
Ladle the soup into bowls, garnish with the fried sage leaves and serve.
