Recipe: Curried Cauliflower Soup

[triedunture]

Oh my goodness, you guys, this recipe is so easy and it makes such an impressive first course. Or pair it with some biscuits or a loaf of french bread and you have a tasty lunch. You should make it. WHY HAVEN'T YOU MADE IT?

Probably because you, like me, have always considered cauliflower to be the biggest poseur of the vegetable world. "Ohhhh, I'm like broccoli but all white." WIGGER VEGETABLE. (That's right. I went there.)

But in this recipe, it doesn't matter. Everything gets blended up into a fine tasty paste. No worries.

First chop up a big onion and sweat it in some olive oil along with some curry powder and garlic. How much curry powder and garlic? Well, my aunt's version of this recipe calls for one tablespoon of curry and one clove of garlic.

...I poured in about 5 times the curry and maybe 6 times the minced garlic. Come ON. This is soup, not a hug-fest. It should kick you a little in the face. Just a little.

Once the onions are limp, add to the pot about 4 small potatoes chopped and a head of cauliflower chopped. Rough chop is fine; remember, it's all gonna get blended. Boil everything in chicken stock, or veggie stock if you don't eat meat. Just add enough to cover the vegetables, which, depending on how much of a monster your head of cauliflower is, could be one to two boxes. I added a few dashes of pepper, but that's just me.

Once everything is boiled to tender, meaning a fork will easily pierce the potato and cauliflower pieces, ladle the mixture into the blender and puree that sucker. Really go for it.




After I took this picture, I realized it needed to go back in the blender for a few more moments. You don't want a grainy feel on your mouth, just a nice smooth warm sensation. It might look like baby food. Because it is. Delicious, curryrific baby food. Mmmmm, I'll never chew again.

If you are in charge of annoying children or even full grown adults who don't eat enough vegetables (Tony), you can sneak all sorts of things into this soup. A few carrots wouldn't go amiss, but I wouldn't recommend sharp-tasting veggies like celery; it would just muck with the glow-heat of the curry powder. You want it to taste ORANGE, not white.

For those of you who can't stand winging it, here's my aunt's recipe verbatim. I don't pay it much attention in the proportion department or the "wait for cool-down" department. Otherwise, it's good to go.

Curried Cauliflower Soup

2 T olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 T curry powder
1 head cauliflower, chopped
4 potatoes, chopped
chicken broth

Heat oil in large stock pot, add onion, garlic and curry powder. Saute until onions are limp. Add cauliflower, potatoes and broth. Simmer until vegetables are tender. Let cool. Puree and return to heat. Serve, Yum. (All vegetables are coarsely chopped--no precision here.)

Happy soup season, everyone! Now that I have a working blender, maybe soon I'll share my potato & leek soup with you. :3

Comments

[lady529.livejournal.com]

It looks so yummy.. Apart from the fact it has curry, which makes me vomit. But that I'm sure I can substitute with something that doesn't make me vomit (or I could just put less in and hope for the best, or at the very least an available lavatory) : )

Don't have a blender though. Oh wait, yes I do. Silly me..

The Lady 529

[triedunture.livejournal.com]

You can't eat curry!?

My god. I put curry in everything. Salad dressings, soup, beans and rice, pasta...I don't think I could live without it.

But I guess you could substitute with chili powder and hot sauce, maybe some cumin (although if you hate curry you probably don't dig cumin). It would be a different kind of hot, but still bright and pretty.

[lady529.livejournal.com]

I like curry, it just makes me ill if it's too hot. I'm also allergic to chili powder and hot sauce (as well as paprika, peppers and jalapeños etc). For some reason I tend to get away with small amounts of curry and/or tandoori, so I use that : ) I especially enjoy curry on white fish <3

Now I want fish balls (no, not like that fish balls) with curry..

The Lady 529

[triedunture.livejournal.com]

Oh my! Well, if it's the heat that bothers you, maybe you should use sweet curry powder. That's what they normally sell here in the states. It's more of a Caribbean curry than an Indian, and it's not really hot at all. It's more tangy? Maybe you have something similar in your neck of the woods?

[lady529.livejournal.com]

*sighs and tries again* : P

It's not the heat that bothers me, I adore hot food, but depending on what's IN the hot food, it might make me ill. Chilies don't make me ill, chili powder do. Paprika/pepper sauces don't necessarily make me ill, paprikas do (some peppers don't). Etc. I'm allergic to a rather annoyingly wide range of foods, most of which I like - but they still make me ill. It's like dogs, I adore dogs, but if I snuggle one with my face, I'm asking for trouble (and an asthma attack as well if I'm lucky).

I still think I'll try with just less curry than you used and then if I'm fine, try a bit more next time : ) How I usually do things. Oh, and have yoghurt ready, it's my tummy-calmer numero uno.

The Lady 529

[starpanties.livejournal.com]

Oh, I am *so* making this tomorrow.

[brewsternorth.livejournal.com]

Nummers! I love a good curry especially in this weather, brr.

[georgeodowd.livejournal.com]

This almost makes me want to cook. Almost.