Over the weekend we found some nice cauliflower at a really good price at the supermarket. Not wanting to pass up a nice vegetable at half the usual price, we picked up a head. Then we had to figure out what to do with it, having had no cauliflower plans. Having recently obtained Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything Vegetarian (no, I haven’t given up my omnivore ways) we turned there to see what we could find. We settled on “Creamy Cauliflower (or Broccoli) Soup,” and it was a very good choice. It is simple but not uninteresting. And it was a nice dish for a chilly (for June, anyway) and rainy day like we had on Sunday.

Click for more to see the recipe.

Creamy Cauliflower (or Broccoli) Soup

  • 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
  • 1 large onion, sliced
  • 1 head cauliflower or 1 pound broccoli, florets separated, stems chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 3 cups vegetable stock
  • 1 cup cream or sour cream
  1. Put the butter or oil in a large, deep saucepan over medium heat. When the butter is melted or the oil is hot, add the onion, cauliflower, garlic, and a large pinch of salt, and some pepper. Cook until the onion is softened, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the white wine, cook for 1 minute, then add the stock and cook until the cauliflower is very tender, 10 to 15 minutes.
  2. Use an immersion blender to purée the soup in the pan. Or cool the mixture slightly (hot soup is dangerous), pass it through a food mill or pour it into a blender, and purée carefully until smooth, working in batches if necessary. (You may prepare the soup in advance up to this point. Cover, refrigerate for up to 2 days, and reheat before proceeding.)
  3. Stir in the cream, taste and adjust the seasoning, and serve.

 

We used the sour cream option, was was a nice choice. It gave a slight tang to the soup. It did become more pronounced as the soup cooled in its bowl. It might be interesting to substitute plain whole-milk yogurt for the cream/sour cream here, too. We used an immersion blender to purée the soup, but didn’t go to complete smoothness, leaving a few chucks of cauliflower to provide some texture. That seemed to work quite good, as well.

Also, home-made vegetable stock is quick and easy, so it’s worth the time rather than using some strange product purchased at the store.