silky cauliflower soup

Cauliflower, I swear, is something forgotten in this kitchen; always being overshadowed by its green counterpart broccoli or passed by, because, well, cauliflower, though distinct in flavor, doesn’t have a whole lot to boast about. It is pasty white in color, which frankly can’t compete with some of fall and winter’s aubergine hues and leafy greens, and its texture can range from dry and crumbly to stringy and mushy. Neither side of the spectrum I particularly care for, however, we are trying to keep things light and simple before we force our winter blubber into bikinis and board shorts — something very difficult when you are making several batches of these and rolling little balls of deep, dark chocolate around in cocoa (recipe to come, I promise).

For the normal blandness I find typical with cauliflower, this soup packed a ton of flavor with only minimal ingredients and took less than 40 minutes from grocery bag to table. It was hefty enough to be filling but not heavy, making us wish we ate that salad leftover from lunch. Best of all, it freezes well, meaning I can come home after layovers and crunched flights to a healthy meal I can heat up in 10 minutes.

Silky Cauliflower Soup
From David Lieberman

Serves 4

1 head cauliflower
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 quart low-sodium chicken stock
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Remove the leaves and thick core from the cauliflower, coarsely chop, and reserve. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan or soup pot over medium heat and add the onion and garlic. Cook until softened, but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add the cauliflower and stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until the cauliflower is very soft and falling apart, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and, using a hand held immersion blender, puree the soup, or puree in small batches in a blender and return it to the pot. Add the Parmesan and stir until smooth. Season, to taste, with salt and black pepper. Keep warm until ready to serve.