Cauliflower & Roasted Garlic Soup

Why you should roast a head of garlic virtually every time you turn on the oven?

This post was published (Author- Joe Yonan) on Oct. 18, 2017 (some were adapted from a book, “Little Bird  Goodness,” Megan May (Penguin Books, 2017) by Joe Yonan). The beauty of this is that the roasted garlic gives a deep flavor to many things including the Cauliflower Soup, such as mashed potatoes.

The Cauliflower & Roasted Garlic Soup:

4 servings (makes about 5 cups)

Adapted from “Little Bird Goodness,” by Megan May (Penguin, 2017).

• 1 head garlic
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 cups Scrappy Vegetable Broth or store-bought, no-salt-added vegetable broth
• 1 large head cauliflower, cut into small florets (8 cups)
• ¾ cup raw cashews
• ½ teaspoon sea salt, or more as needed
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or more as needed
• ¼ cup Blanched Basil Oil, for garnish (optional)
• Fresh pea shoots, for garnish (optional)

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• Discard the loose outer layers of papery peel from the head of garlic, then cut it in half horizontally and drizzle each half with the oil. Wrap each half in a small piece of aluminum foil, place on a small baking sheet and roast (middle rack) until the cloves are very tender and caramel-colored, 40 to 50 minutes. Unwrap and let cool, then pick or squeeze out each roasted clove and discard the skins.
• Combine the broth and the cauliflower in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Once the liquid comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, so it’s barely bubbling. Cook until you can easily mash the cauliflower against the side of the pot with a wooden spoon. Remove from the heat, then add the roasted garlic cloves and ½ cup of the cashews. Chop the remaining 1/4  cup of cashews and reserve for the garnish.
• Use an immersion (stick) blender to puree the soup until smooth. It will be fairly thick. (Alternatively, you can puree the soup in batches in a blender, being careful to not fill it more than halfway to avoid splatters.)
• Wipe out the saucepan, and return the pureed soup to it, over medium-low heat. Stir in the salt and pepper; cook until the flavors meld, about 15 minutes. Taste, and adjust the seasoning, as needed.
• To serve, divide the soup among individual bowls. Top each portion with the chopped cashews, a drizzle of the basil oil and pea shoots, if using.

Nutrition | Per serving: 240 calories, 9 g protein, 26 g carbohydrates, 14 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 370 mg sodium, 5 g dietary fiber, 10 g sugar

Reference