First slurp fest of the year!
And it’s roasted. It’s all roasted. Praise be. (<–name that show.)
If you’re not into cauliflower (WHO ARE YOU), I hiiiighly recommend taking a stab at roasting it. Cauliflower isn’t true cauliflower unless it’s been roasted to smithereens. But first, let’s talk about how simple this soup is.
And it’s not a main meal soup! It’s a SIDE soup. A mini soup. A baby soup, as Nat calls it.
This is all that goes into it. ^^^Basic ish you already have lying around in the CUBBUHD or fridge.
Would you BELIEVE my parsley is still alive in our insano sub-zero temps?! How is this happening? I mean, it’s crunchy as bunk, but it’s still alive. Mind you, my hearty herbs have all given me the middle finger, but the parsley? Churning right along, man. I hath not answers.
So the key to roasting cauli is to roast it a FULL HOUR. At 400. Do it. Don’t argue. Leave them in. You want those snowy trees (<–that’s what the gremlins call it) BLISTERED AND BURNT.UP. All that crispy brownage is flavor town. And it makes suuuuch a difference in the soup. There’s a layer of depth that will give you giddy pants, and you’ll yip ballyhoo with every bite.
And the garlic! Roast a few cloves of garlic right along with the cauli, right there on the same baking sheet. Boom.
Once it’s roasted, the rest is stupid easy. Put it in a blender, add milk, chicken stock, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt. Whizzzzzzzz it until she’s blended and creamy and smooth and brilliant.
Oh! Save about 1/2 cup of the tiny florets for garnish. You’ll want a little texture right on top of each bowl. This is a good thing in life.
Once it’s super creamy and silky, transfer it to a pot to heat up! That’s it. Just heat it up. It might splatter, so keep a lid nearby. And maybe a hazmat suit. Your call.
It. Is. SEWGUD. The garlic and lemon give this soup its secret weapon of punch. And all the roasted complexity. Ugh! (don’t punch me for saying complexity.)
I made this for Christmas Day dinner, and served it with a roast chicken and steamed broccolini. And all was magical in the world.
And like, it’s great because this soup makes the perfect side dish! I mean, you COULD eat it alone, with a giant mound of crusty bread. You’d still be a good person. But I like to treat it as the opener, or side. Shred a rotis and call it good, babe.
It’s warm, it’s creamy, it’s smooth, it’s roasted, and SO WINTER.
Get your face in it.
Pronto.
Ingredients
- 2 heads cauliflower, broken into florets
- 5 or 6 cloves garlic (in their skins)
- 2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 cup milk
- 1 cup chicken stock (or veggie to make it vegetarian)
- 1 lemon
- Minced parsley, for garnish
- Fresh parmesan, for garnish
- Coarse salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400.
- Arrange the cauliflower florets on a large baking sheet. Nestle the garlic cloves on the sheet with the florets. Drizzle it all with the olive oil, and a pinch of salt. Toss with your fingers, and roast for an hour, tossing at the 45-minute mark.
- Reserve about 1/2 a cup of roasted florets to the side (for garnish), and transfer the rest to a blender. Squeeze the garlic out of its skins right into the blender. Add the milk, stock, and juice from half the lemon. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper; blend until smooth and luscious.
- Transfer the soup to a pot and simmer on medium, until warm.
- Ladle the soup among small bowls, and garnish with reserved florets, a sprinkle of parsley and parmesan cheese. Give It another grind of black pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice. RIDICULOUS, I tell you.
- Serves 4!
- *serve with a roast chicken and a steamed green
- *use frozen cauliflower to save a step!
- *swamp in almond milk and veggie stock to make it vegan.
A full hour! Don’t argue with me.
28 Responses to Roasted Cauliflower Soup
Trackbacks/Pingbacks