{Cauli}Flower Soup

 photo courtesy of foodnetwork.com

My daughter is a pretty picky eater. There was a time when the only way I could get her to eat any vegetables, was to disguise them in things like zucchini bread and carrot waffles. This was a recipe I found to get her to cauliflower. 

I'll admit, I am not a big fan of cauliflower, but this soup is heavenly and good for you. I add a little cream to it at the end to make it even better. The original recipe includes parmesan crisps, but we just serve it with bread (sourdough is really good with it) for dipping. My daughter loves to dip. To disguise it, we call it Flower soup. My daughter is girly like that, so flower soup is fun for her.

Silky Cauliflower Soup

Recipe courtesy Dave Lieberman of the Food Network.

Ingredients

Soup:

• 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 

Directions

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.

*When blending hot liquids: Remove liquid from the heat and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes. Transfer liquid to a blender or food processor and fill it no more than halfway. If using a blender, release one corner of the lid. This prevents the vacuum effect that creates heat explosions. Place a towel over the top of the machine, pulse a few times then process on high speed until smooth.