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Cauliflower Soup with Croutons
Cauliflower is my friend and one of my “go to” vegetables – I prepare something cauliflower centric at least once a week. When I saw a similar recipe to what is here in the New York Times Food section, I put it in my “to make” folder. No cream but it tastes creamy! I loved it and will make it again time and again.
I didn’t add fresh rosemary to the olive oil – to me, rosemary has such an overpowering flavor. BUT I might infush the olive oil with a little saffron next time to liven up the color and drizzle on top at when serving. This was a hit with the adults and kids in our family! Make it this winter before you move on to summer vegetables. You won’t regret it.
No-Cream Cauliflower Soup
Serves 6
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp fruity extra virgin olive oil – I use the oil I brought back from Tuscany
- 1 medium yellow onion, skinned and diced ½ inch
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 quart chicken broth (Better Than Bouillon but I make it a little more dilute than suggested on the jar)
- 2 ½ lbs cauliflower, cored and broken into 1 ½ inch florets
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
- Juice of one lemon
- Wedges of lemon to serve
- Good olive oil to drizzle on top for serving
Instructions
In a heavy soup pot or Dutch oven, heat two tablespoons of olive oil over medium low. Add the onion and slowly cook until tender – about 6-8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook a half minute, being sure the garlic does not burn.
Add the stock, cauliflower, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover and cook for 20 minutes until the cauliflower is very tender.
Remove from the heat and reserve a few cooked pieces of cauliflower for serving.
I usually blend the soup with an immersion blender right in the stock pot. Transferring it to a blender is too much effort and mess! The soup thickens as it cools. Taste and season with additional salt/pepper.
Serve hot, swirling a bit of olive oil on top and a piece or two of cooked cauliflower that you reserved. I pass lemon wedges and accompany this with a nice salad and rustic bruschetta. Cauliflower soup keeps in the refrigerator, covered, for a week.
