Cauliflower Soup

Fall has firmly embraced the Canadian prairies.  Leaves are falling, I’m lugging around a heavy hockey equipment bag again every few days as my son attends practices, and we hosted another fully gluten free Thanksgiving dinner a few nights ago.  My favorite season.  Pumpkin recipes and fall treats are coming up on the blog, but first, this soup.

For me, my favorite season is also about snuggling up in sweaters, blankets and slippers, drinking tea in the evening, cozying up by the fireplace with a book, and warm, hearty soups for dinner.  I hope you make this soup and love it too.

Don’t be scared by the cauliflower – the trendy vegetables it seems at the moment. This soup is tasty, full of vegetables, seasoned as you like, creamy if you choose (I do!).  You completely control the final product and texture simply in how much you blend. I use an immersion blender and usually fully blend mine.  Blend less if you like it that way. It’s also lovely with a swirl of olive oil and chopped walnuts.  And pepper.  Extra pepper.  Enjoy!

Step 5 looks rather long an unnecessarily confusing. It's just me being a bit wordy trying to explain the different processes of blending this soup. It's an easy step though whether you're using an immersion blender (my preference) or a stand blender.

Cauliflower Soup

Creamy Cauliflower soup packed with healthy vegetables.

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 30-45 minutes

Yield:4 bowls

Ingredients:

• 3 slices of bacon
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
• 1 head of cauliflower (mine weighed 927g)
• 1 white sweet potato, peeled and chopped (mine weighed 260 grams)
• 2 parsnips, peeled and chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled and chopped (I used 100 g julienned)
• 4 cups chicken broth
• Salt and pepper to taste (I used ½ tsp of each)
• ¼ cup coconut milk, if you want a creamier version

Instructions:

1. Trim cauliflower into big florets. Slice bacon and prepare other vegetables
2. In a large pot (I use a cast iron dutch oven), over medium heat, render the bacon (cook until fat cover the bottom of the pot and the bacon is cooked). Scoop out bacon and reserve for later.
3. Add onion to the pot and cook until softened but not browned. Add garlic, and the rest of the vegetables. Cook for a few minutes until slightly browned.
4. Add chicken broth. Put the lid on the pot turn heat down slightly. Simmer 30-45 minutes until vegetables are just softened.
5. Take the pot of the heat. At this point you have a few options depending on the texture you’re going for in the finished soup. For creamier soup: blend entire contents of pot, using either an immersion blender or a stand blender (in batches for the stand blender, and be careful, it’s hot!!) You can also choose whether to add the bacon now, or after blending. For chunkier soup: If you are using an immersion blender, remove as much vegetables as you want to a separate bowl, blend what’s left in the pot, then add vegetables back in, along with the bacon. For a stand blender, remove some vegetables to a separate bowl, then blend the rest of the contents of the pot in the blender in a few batches, depending on how much will fit at a time (careful, it’s hot!!) I have burned myself making this soup so please be very careful during the blending process! After last bath or soup is pureed in the blender and added back to the pot, add in the reserved vegetables and the bacon.
6. Return pot to heat and add salt and pepper to taste.
7. If you want an even creamier soup, add in ¼ to ½ cup of coconut milk (or cow’s milk or cream)
8. Serve immediately. Garnish with olive oil and chopped nuts if desired. Eat with your favorite gluten free bread or crackers for a filling lunch or supper.