Recipe: Creamy Cauliflower Soup With Rosemary Olive Oil

I felt I needed a meat-tox and something lighter for iftar yesterday. I’m not getting in as much activity as I normally do since being quarantined (now almost two months!). I came across this recipe on NYTimes’ Cooking site and it seemed easy with not a lot of ingredients so I thought I’d give it a shot. I’m gonna note the alterations I did because I didn’t for example, have vegetable stock, but I stopped letting things like that stop me from trying a recipe. I also add a little more garlic because I just always do in my cooking. It still turned out really tasty!

CREAMY CAULIFLOWER SOUP WITH ROSEMARY OLIVE OIL

•  For rosemary oil: 1 cup olive oil, 4 sprigs of rosemary
•  2 tbs olive oil
•  1 medium yellow onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
•  2 garlic cloves minced (about 1 tbs) note: I did 4 cloves
•  1 quart vegetable stock (note: I didn’t have any so I just did 3 1/2 cups water and 3 tbs butter)
• 1 medium head cauliflower, cored and broken into 1 1/2 florets
•  2 tsp kosher salt plus more to taste
•  1 tsp black pepper plus more to taste
• Freshly grated zest of 1 lemon, for serving (note: I skipped this)
•  Optional: 3 cups diced rustic country bread for croutons (note: I just used the croutons we had at home)

1. Make the rosemary oil: In a medium skillet, combine the olive oil and rosemary sprigs. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes, lowering the heat if the oil reaches a full simmer. (You want to cook it at a very gentle simmer to avoid frying the rosemary.) Carefully pour the oil and rosemary into a small bowl, leaving a slick of oil in the pan if you plan to make croutons. Allow the rosemary to cool completely in the oil while you make the soup.
2. Make the soup: In a heavy pot or Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-low. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and translucent, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. (Be careful not to let the garlic scorch!)
3. Add the stock (or in my case, water and butter), cauliflower, salt and pepper, and bring to a boil over high. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer until the cauliflower is tender when pierced with a fork, about 10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, make the optional croutons: Heat the reserved skillet with the residual rosemary oil over medium. Add the bread cubes, sprinkle generously with salt and pepper, and cook, tossing often, until toasted all over, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer the croutons to a plate or board to cool.
5. Strain and discard the rosemary stems from the rosemary oil. Working in batches if necessary, carefully transfer the vegetables, stock and 1/4 cup rosemary oil to a blender and blend on high until creamy. Add more rosemary oil to taste, and blend to combine. Return the soup to the pot and bring to a simmer. If the soup seems thin, let it simmer for 5 to 10 minutes to reduce slightly. (Remember: The soup will continue to thicken as it cools.) Season to taste with salt and pepper. Note, I also added a dash of garlic powder to this step.
6. Serve hot. Garnish each serving with a swirl of rosemary oil, a few croutons, and a sprinkle of lemon zest. The soup will thicken as it sits; add more stock as necessary when reheating. Leftover rosemary oil will keep in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Let me know if you try it and what you think! I love eating vegetable based meals but I’m always worried my husband won’t enjoy it because he loves his meat, but he devoured this too!

x

Shy