Cauliflower Potato Soup
Prep time: about 1 hour
yield: 4-6 servings
Please see notes for discussion of seasonings
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1-2 large garlic cloves, peeled and minced, green shoot removed if necessary
1 small shallot or onion (nobody’s coming with a scale), peeled and sliced
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 small cauliflower, broken into florets, stalks included if you wish
1 enormous or 2 large Russet potatoes, peeled and cut into medium chunks
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/4-1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
4 cups unsalted chicken broth, ideally home-made or best-quality store-bought
2 cups water, which you may not use all of, to cover vegetables
1 cup half-and-half, milk, or heavy cream (I used half-and-half)
1-2 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced
Optional, to serve:
Sharp Cheddar Cheese, at room temperature
Sourdough bread, country bread, cheese biscuits.
Heat the butter in a stock or pasta pot over medium low heat. I use an 8-quart pasta pot, as I don’t have a stockpot.
Sweat the garlic and onion with salt for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Don’t let the aromatics brown.
Add the cauliflower, potatoes, black pepper, cumin, red pepper, and chicken broth. As vegetables vary, you will likely need additional water to cover. You want everything just covered but not swamped.
Bring the soup to a boil, then turn heat down to lively simmer. Partially cover the pot and cook until vegetables are soft, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes.
Purée the soup using an immersion blender, conventional blender, food processor, or potato masher. Remember you are dealing with hot liquids, and they always win.
Add the half-and-half. Reheat soup gently.
Ladle soup into deep serving bowls. Top each serving with minced scallion. Eat hot or at room temperature.
Notes:
I started with a teaspoon of fine sea salt, adding one quarter more. Taste as you go. Better to salt gradually than oversalt.
The soup is not spicy, but it is seasoned. If you prefer a milder soup, go with a 1/4 teaspoon each cumin and red pepper; you can always add more.
The dairy is not mandatory. Nor is adding the full cup. Suit yourself.
The scallion isn’t there for greenery. It truly does add flavor.
Cauliflower potato soup keeps beautifully refrigerated in covered container, 3-4 days. If you made it with a chicken broth base, I wouldn’t advise keeping it in the fridge beyond that.
Cauliflower potato soup can be frozen, but the delicate flavor will suffer.
Cauliflower Potato Soup: the Meals in Minutes Version:
Don’t sauté the garlic and onion in butter. Instead, toss garlic, onion, cauliflower and potatoes into a soup pot. Add salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, cumin. Pour the broth and water over. Bring to a low boil. Turn down to lively simmer and partially cover. Cook until vegetables are soft. Purée. Stir in a cup of milk, half-and-half, or heavy cream. Reheat soup gently. Serve. Sprinkle scallion over each bowl of soup. You’ll lose some nuance, but gain time.