Curried Cauliflower Cream Soup

Just like the fashion industry, the food industry has its trends. What is trending now? These vegetables are grabbing the spotlight: Brussels sprouts, kale, and cauliflower. Recipes for these vegetables are popping up everywhere, on the Internet, in magazines, newspapers, and even in conversation. If you haven’t tried this trio before, you may be hesitant to do so.

But your grandmother and mother were right when they proclaimed, “Eat your vegetables. They’re good for you!” Vegetables contain vitamins and minerals that are essential for good health.

According to the Self Nutrition Data website, cauliflower contains 25 calories per serving, three grams of fiber, two grams of sugar and two grams of protein. It also contains vitamins A, C, K, folic acid, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium.

My husband loves raw cauliflower and he likes the crispy slices in salat. I recently bought a head on sale and found out the reason for the reduced price. The vegetables were beginning to soften. Since I couldn’t put it in a salad, I thought I’d mash it like potatoes. So I thought about the soup. I live in Minnesota and it’s winter with wind chills that can drop as low as 41 below zero. The soup sounded great.

Cauliflower and curry go well together, so I added some to the soup. If you don’t like this spice leave it out. If you love this spice add more. Cooking the curry for one minute before adding the other ingredients brings out its flavor. After the vegetables are ready, the mixture is blended with a hand blender. You can also use a stand mixer, but I use a manual one because it’s safer. I don’t have to pour the hot soup into a glass bowl and I can puree the soup right in the pot.

I garnished the soup with garlic butter croutons, but other flavors would taste good too. Here is my curried cauliflower cream recipe.

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon curry powder

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1 celery rib, chopped

1 cup baby carrots, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 (32-ounce) box unsalted chicken broth

1 cup of water

1 chicken stock cube

3/4 medium head cauliflower, cut into small pieces

8 ounces Neufchatel cheese, room temperature

3 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley (to decorate)

Packaged croutons (to decorate)

METHOD

Put olive oil and butter in a soup pot. As soon as the butter has melted, add the curry powder and cook for 1 minute. Add the onion, celery, and carrots and cook until the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Add cauliflower, cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the Neufchatel cheese. Remove pot from heat. Puree the mixture with a hand blender. Garnish with chopped parsley and croutons, or skip them and serve the soup with crusty bread. This recipe freezes well.