Cauliflower Soup

Day 2 of Cauliflower Week brings me to one of favorite new recipes. Recently, I was in Paris with my mom and was craving vegetables that were not soaked in butter (which is apparently hard to come by in France). Anyway, I was in dairy overload when we stumbled upon this cute restaurant Le Petit Cler (check it out if you ever find yourself wondering through Paris) and their Soupe du jour was Cauliflower. Let me tell you- it was to die for! I have never polished over a soup like that ever, let alone in the minutes it took me to do so.

Needless to say, I returned from Paris searching for my new found comfort food- Cauliflower Soup. I was disappointed with my lack of options so I combined a few recipes here to bring you my version of the Parisian Cauliflower Soup!

Dairy Free and can be made to be vegan and vegetarian friendly!

Serves: 4 Cook Time: 1-1.5 hour

Ingredients:

·       4 cups of your favorite broth (I like sodium free bone broth, but vegetable broth is delicious and vegan!)

·        1 head of cauliflower (leaves and stem trimmed)

·       2 tablespoons olive oil

·        4 cloves of garlic

·        1 small shallot

·        Black Pepper

·        Salt & Paprika (Optional)

·        Parsley, Paprika, shallots, and/or croutons for garnish (optional)

Recipe

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit

2. Using a pot large enough for the head of cauliflower, add garlic and shallots chopped with a little olive oil. Cook until soft (medium heat).

3. Add broth to the pot and bring to a boil. I like to season the broth here with a little bit of black pepper and salt

4. Once boiling, place head of cauliflower down into the pot and cover

5. Cook for about 10-15 minutes, until soft (A fork or knife should easily slide into the stem). Remove cauliflower from broth, and leave broth simmering on the stove.

6. On a baking sheet, place the cauliflower head up and top with olive oil and lightly with black pepper
   I also scoop a few pieces of garlic and shallots out of the broth and cook them with the cauliflower

7. Cook for 35 minutes (or until the top is golden brown)

8. When golden, return the cauliflower to the broth on the stone. Cook on medium heat until the cauliflower is falling apart (20 minutes or so). Save the remaining broth

9. Place the cauliflower in a blender and begin to puree. Here is where you can taste as you go and add in salt, paprika, or your favorite spice for extra flavor.

10. Slowly add remaining broth into the puree until you achieve the consistency you like. Should be somewhere between mashed potatoes and broth.

Tips:

• Crispy Shallots are my FAVORITE topping for this soup (see picture). They are super easy to cook and add the perfect crunch and flavor to the dish. See Recipe here:

  • Add about 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a small pan and begin to heat on medium.

  • Chop shallots (they’ll fall apart into the little twisting pieces you see here, so however you chop them is fine - just not too small!)

  • Add shallots to hot oil and turn down the heat as needed

  • Break apart the shallots with a fork and simmer until they turn brown.

  • Place on a paper towel to absorb excess oil.

  • Top your favorite dish and enjoy!

• You can also add parsley, paprika, croutons- anything you like to spice up your soup.