Creamy Cauliflower Soup

Cauliflower is hardly a sexy vegetable. Most people don't particularly like it. Those who do like it don't particularly love it.

All that being said, I'm not above a challenge. I was ready to make a delicious cauliflower-based dish. And I have to say, I succeeded thanks to Heidi Swanson's recipe for creamy cauliflower soup. (I realize the picture above looks like abstract art - let's pretend I was drawing a picture of Mary Todd Lincoln using herbed olive oil as paint and the soup as a canvas, shall we?)

This soup is velvety, spicy, and surprisingly flavorful. You can top it with whatever you like - pesto, flavored oil, chopped fresh herbs, you name it. I used a balsamic and sun-dried tomato olive oil. Even without the oil, the soup was very tasty. We had ours with some crusty sourdough and it was a satisfying lunch.

So put away your cauliflower skepticism and try this soup. I think you'll be pleased with the results.

Creamy Cauliflower Soup
adapted from Heidi Swanson's Super Natural Cooking
serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 tablespoons EVOO
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1/2 large yellow onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 medium potato, peeled and chopped
1 head cauliflower, coarsely chopped
2 1/2 cups low sodium veggie or chicken stock
2 tablespoons heavy cream
sea salt to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat the EVOO in a soup pot over medium-high heat. Add garlic, onions, and red pepper flakes, and saute for 3 minutes, or until onions are translucent. Stir in potato and cauliflower, and cook for another minute or two. Add stock and bring to a simmer.

2. Simmer the soup for about 15 minutes, or until potato is tender and easily pierced with a fork. Turn off the heat and puree soup thoroughly with an immersion blender (or your preferred method).

3. Stir in cream and season with salt to taste. Serve as is, or topped with a drizzle of flavored oil or pesto.

Enjoy!