Pages

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Purple Cauliflower Soup with Caramelized Onions and Cêpes

Some people just know me so well, it brings tears to my eyes.  Like my good friend who offered me a purple cauliflower for no apparent reason other than to see my reaction and what I would possibly be doing to it.  It's almost as if she knew she was giving it a good home by offering it to me.  Those are the types of gifts that touch me deeply.
The dizzying purple color was putting me into wild food trances.  I imagined a vibrant purple soup and how sexy it would be if I blended it into a smooth velvety creamy texture.  I imagined how I would decorate it with caramelized onions and sautéed cepe mushrooms and garlic croutons.
All my dreams came true except for the color.  I thought roasting it as opposed to boiling it would help it keep its color.
Alas.. my sexy vibrant purple soup was taupe.. but oh was it delicious and Earthy.. just the way I like it!
Serves 3-4
Ingredients
1 head purple cauliflower, broken into small florets
3 carrots, cut into sticks
1 head garlic, skin on
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp salt
Olive oil to toss
1-2 cups water
Toppings:
2 large yellow onions, sliced into moons
1-2 large cêpe mushrooms, or 200g wild mushrooms, sliced
2 Tbsp olive oil
drizzle balsamic vinegar
garlic rubbed croutons
dollop of yogurt (optional)
1 chile de arbole (optional)
Directions
1.  Mix the ground cumin, coriander, and salt together and sprinkle on the cauliflower florets and carrot sticks.  Drizzle it all with olive oil along with the head of garlic and place in a single layer in an oven tray.  Bake at 200°C 400°F for 20 minutes.
2.  While that is happening, make the toppings.  Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a pan and add the sliced onions.  Cook on medium until browned (about 10-15 minutes) and deglaze with the vinegar.  Set aside.
3.  Heat the other Tbsp olive oil in a pan and add the sliced cêpe mushrooms.  Cook on medium until glossy (about 10 minutes).  Set aside.
4.  When your good stuff is done roasting, transfer it to a pot and add just a bit of water.  Squeeze the garlic out of its paper and blend it all with an immersible hand blender.  If you like it thin, use more water.  I like it thick.  I probably used 1 1/2 cup.
5.  Heat through in case it cooled down before serving.

Serve hot ladled into bowls garnished with the desired toppings.

Set aside the disappointment about the color.. because taupe is pretty too!

No comments:

Post a Comment