[CH] Best Cauliflower Soup Ever
Edmiston (edmiston@wardpress.com)
Sun, 10 May 1998 23:56:39 +0000
Someone on the list was looking for veggie recipes. Here's one I
modified, originally called Neopolitan Cauliflower Soup, but transformed
by me into a CH wonder. Trust me, you don't have to be a veghead to
enjoy it. Even more tasty when made with organic ingredients, but the
real secret is to use really, really good olive oil.
1 lg Cauliflower; cored & separated into florets
2 T White wine vinegar
1 1/2 Garlic heads; minced
1 ts Crushed peccorino or other small dried red pepper
1/4 c Olive oil (the best you can afford)
4 c Vegetable broth; hot (Vegetarian faux-chicken stock is nice too)
2 Fresh habs, minced
2 T paprika
2 ts Calvin's ("Nothing comes between me and my Calvin's... Nothing")
or, if you don't have any, cayenne I suppose
2 ts Salt (Kosher salt or sea salt helps enhance the flavour)
2 ts Black ppper
1 bunch Parsley, Italian; freshly chopped
Pecorino cheese; grated
Rinse the cauliflower and trim coarsely. Place in a large bowl with
vinegar and stir to further clean the cauliflower.
Meanwhile, heat a large saucepan of salted water to boiling and heat the
vegetable/faux-chicken stock. Put cauliflower into the boiling water,
return to a boil and cook over a moderately high heat until just tender,
about 4 minutes. Drain the cauliflower thoroughly.
Toss the cauliflower into the bowl that held the water/vinegar cleansing
mixture and set aside. Once saucepan has cooled, pour in olive oil. Heat
over medium-low heat and then drop in minced garlic. Cook garlic for
about 3 minutes, till golden. Then toss in boiled cauliflower, habs and
peccorino. Cook, stirring and slicing up the cauliflower further, for
about 5 minutes.
Pour in heated broth, and add salt, pepper, Calvin's, paprika and
parsley. Heat, then remove from heat and blend like a mofo. I use a
handblender, but whatever works for you is okay. Point is, when you beat
the heck out of the cauliflower, you get a nice creamy consistency
without having to add milk or cream (bonus for vegans).
Heat through and serve. Top with lots of Italian pecorino and you'll be
one happy camper. Add some tasty crusty white bread (we ain't talkin'
Wonderbread here, folks) and you'll be plotting a move to Italy. FWIW,
this soup keeps in my fridge for up to a week.