Roasted Cauliflower Soup

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and New Year. It's nice to be back here on the blog, I must say. I didn't mean to be gone so long, but my family and I were busy with guests visiting, the usual Christmas madness, and then just taking some time to relax a bit.

Since this is our first year of living in Nevada, we didn't really know what to expect as far as how cold the weather would be in the wintertime. My son and his wife have lived here for five years, and they kept telling us to expect a very cold and windy season. But when you move here in July and it's 110 degrees, it's kind of hard to believe.

It turns out they were definitely right, it's cold here in the dessert. I've been wearing my heavy jackets and boots and scarves most of the time. And it's soup weather for sure, so I've been busy in the kitchen making big batches of our favorite soups to enjoy.

I just recently made this Roasted Cauliflower Soup for the first time, and it's now one of my favorites. The recipe is very easy to make, and I really like the flavor of the cauliflower after it's been roasted in the oven with olive oil and salt and pepper. The cream gives it a rich and velvety texture, and if you are a fan of cream soups like I am, I hope you'll give this recipe a try.

I started making my own croutons with cookie cutters, and the stars are some of my favorite shapes. My grandchildren love them, and it makes them want to try new soups just so they can top them with stars, hearts, and flowers. Just use your favorite bread and cut out the shapes with small cookie cutters. Then put them on a cookie sheet and place in a 400 degree oven for 8 minutes, turning once at 4 minutes.

Recipe for Roasted Cauliflower Soup

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 head of cauliflower, cut into small chunks

3 cups chicken broth

1 cup heavy cream

salt and pepper to taste

additional olive oil for drizzling

bread slices for making croutons (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place cauliflower pieces on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast in oven until edges are brown, turning once, about 18-20 minutes.

In a large Dutch oven, heat remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, add onions and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add roasted cauliflower to onions, then add chicken stock.

Bring to boil. Let boil 8 minutes, add salt and pepper to taste. Turn off heat, add heavy cream and stir.

Puree soup with immersion blender ( or regular blender). Drizzle lightly with addition olive oil, sprinkle with pepper, and top with croutons, if desired.

*Recipe adapted from Sweet Paul Magazine.

-Post by Patricia