Age Old Cure For Cauliflower Ear: Cauli Soup

I'm big on what I consider "essence" soups...derived from few ingredients, intended to let the natural flavor of the primary element shine through.  When designed around vegetables, it usually means cooking with dry heat to concentrate flavors, then liquefying with mild vegetable stock, and pureeing to finish so as to give the impression of a cream without actually adding any dairy. 

In this recipe it's the mild but distinct flavor of cauliflower, with a small amount of potato added for body, along with an apple thrown in for a just discernible touch of sweetness.  Whereas you could take it to another level with some spices reminiscent of faraway lands, or some actual cream, I like the close-to-the-earth simplicity of this method.  I do often garnish such soups with some game changer though, like polenta croutons with squash soup, and in this case I used some American bacon.  It obviously tastes good, but I suggest having a light hand with it, otherwise the abundant flavor will mute the delicate cauli it's really all about.  Try some nice crusty bread though since this is a full bodied recipe and requires some zopping.  You'll probably find the consistency is quite hearty per this recipe, so it can easily double as a sauce served with a protein for a complete meal.        

  

Ingredients:

2 medium heads cauliflower

1 onion

1 apple (granny smith or something good for baking)

1 lb. potatoes

3-4 sprigs fresh thyme

About 2 liters vegetable stock, recipe follows

Extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Optional: 1/2 lb. bacon, cooked and roughly chopped

Preheat the oven to 400 F.  Heat the vegetable stock to a simmer in a pot.

Trim the green stalks and leaves off the cauliflower, then roughly chop the florets and hearts into pieces and place in a large mixing bowl big enough for it, the onion and the apple.  Cut the onion into segments and add to the bowl, along with the apple, peeled, cored and roughly cut into segments.

 Toss in a bowl with enough olive oil to coat and salt and pepper to taste.  Turn out onto baking sheet(s) in an even layer without overcrowding, and cook in the oven 30 minutes, until the edges of the cauliflower are brown and everything is tender.

Peel the potatoes and cut into 1/2" dice.  Heat olive oil to coat the bottom of a medium or large saucepan over medium high heat.  When the oil shimmers, add the potatoes and 1/2 the thyme leaves, and let cook a couple minutes to release the fragrance of the thyme. 

Add the ingredients from the baking sheets and then begin ladling stock to just cover everything.  Cook about 10 minutes at a gentle boil, or until the potatoes are tender.  

Transfer everything to a blender, in batches if necessary, and puree, adding stock as needed to achieve the desired consistency.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Return the puree to the saucepan and heat through.  Serve with some fresh thyme leaves for garnish, some crusty bread and/or pieces of bacon.

Vegetable Stock:
1 onion, peeled and quartered
2 ribs celery, cut into a couple pieces each
2 carrots, peeled and cut into a couple pieces each
A few whole peppercorns
Salt to taste

Place the vegetables and peppercorns in a large pot and fill almost to the rim with water. Bring just to a boil, then lower to a gentle simmer. Let it cook an hour, more if you'd like, then season to taste with salt. Can be stored several weeks in a refrigerator or several months in a freezer.