Roasted Cauliflower Soup

My version of roasted cauliflower soup is adapted from the NYT recipe for Roasted Cauliflower and Garlic Soup. This could not be easier to make and it was absolutely delicious! You can make this vegan by using vegetable stock or water instead of chicken stock and replacing the cheddar with something else you like.

Indgredients

• Large head of cauliflower, cut into 1-inch florets
• 1 large onion, peeled and quartered
• 1 full head garlic, top cut off to reveal the cloves
• ¼ c. olive oil
• 6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• Salt and pepper
• 1-2 tsp Elote (street corn seasoning). You can DIY your Elote with this recipe from Fork in the Kitchen: DIY 5-Minute Elote Seasoning.
• Grated old or sharp cheddar for garnish – about 1/2 cup. Shaved Parmesan would also work well.

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 425 F.
2. In a large bowl, toss the cauliflower florets and quartered onion with the olive oil, place the veg on a baking pan lined with baker’s parchment, and season generously with salt, pepper and Elote seasoning.
3. Cut top ¼ inch off the head of garlic to expose the top of the cloves, place on foil, cut side up. Sprinkle with salt and drizzle lightly with oil. Wrap the garlic in the foil and place on the sheet pan with the cauliflower and onion.
4. Roast until the cauliflower is browned and tender and the onion and garlic are soft and fragrant, 30 to 35 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, in a large pot, bring 6 cups of chicken or vegetable stock to a simmer over medium (you can use water with a tsp of salt in a pinch).
6. Reserve about 1 cup of the roasted cauliflower for the topping if you like (I didn’t bother), then add to the pot, including any browned bits on the sheet pan.
7. Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves from their skins into the pot. Cover and simmer until the cauliflower is very soft, 7 to 10 minutes.
8. Take the pot off the heat and let it cool 5- 10 minutes before using an immersion blender to purée the soup until smooth. If you don’t have an immersion blender work in small batches using a regular blender or food processor but make sure the soup is cooled a bit more.
9. If the soup is too thick, add water to taste. If thin, simmer, uncovered, for 5 to 10 minutes to reduce slightly. The soup will also thicken as it cools.
10. Season to taste with salt and more Elote if you like it.
11. Serve the soup topped with grated cheddar cheese, a drizzle of olive oil and fresh ground black pepper.

Serves 4-6 people