Un-Cream of Cauliflower

Here we have a simple post for a simple recipe. I can almost guarantee that you will not find a shorter ingredient list (two items) than this, and I can definitely promise you that the flavor is well worth the small amount of effort required to, basically, throw this vegetable into the blender. This soup is exactly the kind of recipe that my mother likes to call "an idiot's delight": it's easy to make and it tastes fantastic.

It's winter out here in Connecticut (ref pudgy cute bird in slush above) and I wanted a cream-of-something soup. I expected to puree cauliflower as a base to my soup and then season it later, adding other ingredients like cream, garlic or potatoes along the way. Instead, I found that all I wanted was the cauliflower itself. The soup tastes simply amazing. It is so rich, creamy and flavorful that I would actually pick this soup over Potato Cheddar - and Greg agrees. Whereas I am the queen of all things sugary, Greg is the king of all things buttery. His judgment on a fat free soup is a pretty good one(!), and I think we both surprised ourselves by liking such a simple, healthy meal.


Uhm, speaking of butter (and the opposite of healthy), we served this with slices of multi grain bread grilled on a buttered skillet. It was sublime. If you're feeling hesitant to try this recipe, think of it this way: make the soup base as it is, and then decide if you want heavy cream in it or not.

Un-Cream of Cauliflower
Serves 2-4
Hint: make sure you like cauliflower before making this soup.

1 head of organic cauliflower
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Add cauliflower to food processor and pulse until finely chopped*. Scrape into to a heavy bottomed soup pot and fill with water to cover. Boil until cauliflower is completely tender and there are no more floating pieces - approximately 30 minutes, or longer depending on the size of cauliflower chunks (check water level occasionally to make sure it doesn't burn).
2. Take mixture back to food processor and puree until completely smooth. Be patient to fully puree the cauliflower - it will turn into creamy goodness at a certain point. Season with salt and pepper to taste**, adding more water if necessary, and serve.

*alternately, just boil the cauliflower in large chunks - the result will be the same, but it will just take a little longer to cook. Make sure to boil it long enough so that the cauliflower is completely softened and the starches begin to break down and thicken the soup.
**I think I added about 1-1.5 tbsp salt and about 1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper. This will really depend on your own taste