This soup should not be good, it defies logic. The ingredients are cauliflower, onion, olive oil, water and salt. Boring right? I don’t understand how it comes out tasting so good. In fact, I’m not sure why I even bothered to make it, but I did. Probably because the Community Pick recipes over at Food 52 are very reliable.
After setting myself up to be incredibly disappointed, we ended up having a lovely meal and a new soup to add to our repertoire. To make the meal more substantial we also had crusty bread, prosciutto, fresh mozzarella and roasted peppers.
A friend asked that I be less vague about some of my vegetable recipes. I measured tonight and am giving you the foolproof roasted pepper recipe below, as well as the cauliflower soup recipe. Enjoy!
• Cauliflower Soup •
from this recipe by Paul Bertoli at Food 52
3tablespoons olive oil
1medium onion (6 ounces), sliced thin
1head very fresh cauliflower (about 1-1/2 pounds), broken into florets
Salt, to taste
5 1/2cups water, divided
Extra virgin olive oil, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Warm the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan. Sweat the onion in the olive oil over low heat without letting it brown for 15 minutes.
Add the cauliflower, salt to taste, and 1/2 cup water. Raise the heat slightly, cover the pot tightly and stew the cauliflower for 15 to 18 minutes, or until tender.
Then add another 4 1/2 cups hot water, bring to a low simmer and cook an additional 20 minutes uncovered.
Working in batches, purée the soup in a blender to a very smooth, creamy consistency. Alternatively, you can use a stick blender to purée it, right in the pot. Let the soup stand for 20 minutes. In this time it will thicken slightly.
Thin the soup with 1/2 cup hot water, if needed. Reheat the soup. Serve hot, drizzled with a thin stream of extra-virgin olive oil and freshly ground black pepper.
• Foolproof Roasted Long Peppers •
4 long un-spicy peppers, like these
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon good quality balsamic vinegar (optional)
Heat oven to 35o degrees. Seed the peppers and cut them lengthwise, into long, thick strips, about 4-6 strips per pepper. Toss with olive oil and salt and place them in a medium glass baking dish, I use a pie dish. Roast for about 1/2 hour or until soft and wilted, stirring a few times along the way. Remove to a serving dish, pouring the juices over them. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar, if using, and serve.
