Cauliflower Soup

During an earthquake is when I first had cauliflower soup. We were on vacation in California. We had returned to San Francisco after a visiting Napa for the day. We decided to eat at a restaurant owned by one of the wineries. The soup of the day was cauliflower soup. It was so good I told the waiter to give the chef my compliments. The chef came out and thanked me and gave me some of the details of how he made the soup. I cataloged his information in memory and knew one day I would have to make cauliflower soup. The whole time at dinner my ears kept popping, badly. We found out later there was an earthquake at the very same time we were eating dinner. So earthquakes make my ears pop. Weird.

A cold front was on its way. I knew there would be day perfect for soup coming soon. I decided to make cauliflower soup. I had made it before using the information from the chef and my own basic soup knowledge (a.k.a. winging it in the kitchen). Preparations were in order, including buying a yellow bowl to put the soup in for photographs (plus green placemat and colored napkin). All I had was white bowls. Cauliflower soup is usually white and I thought a white soup in a white bowl on a white marble table would not make the best picture. I could post a photo of a white cloud and say it was soup.

Next purchase was the ingredients; 2 heads of cauliflower, onion, garlic, cream, and 2 containers of vegetable broth. I found some organic vegetable broth on sale. I had not used this particular brand before but I figured organic and on sale was a good combo. Everything was ready and it was the day to make the soup. First order of business is to cut up the cauliflower. When I cut the core out I looked down and saw green WORMS – Eeeeeeeeekk!!!

After the initial panic attack (I am terribly afraid of bugs), I had to go to the store to get another head of cauliflower. Yes, I did check the other one before I left and it was okay. When the soup making resumed, all was going good and I added the broth to the pot. Well, the broth was orange in color. They must use a lot of carrots or something to make the broth because all the vegetable broth I have used before has very little color. I looked in the pot and I realized the soup may not turn out so white:

Que sara sara at this point. It may not be white but it will taste great. Looks like I got to use my white bowl after all (photo at top). After cooking the cauliflower until it is very soft/mushy, put it in a blender and blend until smooth.

One very important note: Do not fill the blender to the top and be sure to take the middle part out of the lid and cover it with a towel or several paper towels. When hot soup blends it expands. I forgot this one time and the top blew off and soup went all over my kitchen on the cabinets, counter, and floor. It was a giant mess.

Put the blended soup back in the pot to bring it back to a simmer. Taste it to see if you need to add more salt or pepper. You can enjoy it as is or add cream like I do to give it a little decadence. This batch was really good. While the organic broth made it yellow, it also gave it an extra richness. Take a look at this big pot of creamy, silky, delicious, cauliflower soup:

Leftovers freeze well and are nice for quick meals on busy days. Defrost, heat, and enjoy. It is much better than any soup from a can. Homemade trumps store bought any day of the week.

Do you make homemade soups? Have you had any interesting twists and turns while making soup? It was a day of colors and surprises when I was making this one. It was all worth it in the end.

Print

Cauliflower Soup

A recipe for a cauliflower soup; a delicious, vegetarian dish with a non-dairy option.

Course Soup

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Servings 6 to 8 servings

Author Renee

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion sweet onion recommended, chopped
• 2 large or 3 small cloves of garlic chopped
• 2 heads of cauliflower core and leaves removed, and chopped
• 64 ounces vegetable broth
• 1 tablespoon salt plus more if needed
• 1 teaspoon pepper plus more if needed
• 1/2 to 1 cup heavy cream optional

Instructions

1. In a large soup pot, add olive oil and onions and sweat onions over medium heat until translucent. Add garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
2. Add cauliflower and broth to pot. Make sure the broth is level or just above cauliflower. You can add water if needed. Add salt and pepper and stir.
3. Bring to a boil then cover and turn to low heat. Simmer for about 30 minutes or until the cauliflower is very soft.
4. Working in batches, ladel cauliflower and broth into a blender and blend until smooth. You can pour the blended soup in a large bowl or another pot until the batches are done.
5. After blending return soup to the pot, stir, and bring to a simmer. Add salt and/or pepper to taste.
6. Optional: Stir in 1/2 to 1 cup of heavy cream.

Recipe Notes

A recipe for a cauliflower soup; a delicious, vegetarian dish with a non-dairy option.