Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Parmesan Crisps

Sounds Strange, But It's Really Good!

This was the first time I have ever even tried cauliflower soup. And I am pleased to say I like it. I chose two recipes to work from, one from Rachel Ray and the other from Dave Liberman.
I liked certain things from each recipe, so I decided to combine the two.

I used the recipe for the Parmesan Crisps from Dave Liberman and was disappointed. He suggested using foil, but the crisps just stuck to the foil. When I tried to release them from the foil they turned into toasted Parmesan crispies instead. It was still tasty, but I really wanted a crisp that I could place into the bowl for a better presentation. I fixed this problem in the recipe below by recommending the use of parchment paper. Let me know how it works out if you try it.

Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Parmesan Crisps

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon margarine or butter
1 large head cauliflower
1 rib celery, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium shallots or 1 medium onion, chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme, or 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons wondra flour, or all-purpose flour
1 quart low-sodium chicken stock
1 cup fat-free evaporated milk, or half-and-half or whole milk
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan
Coarse sea salt and coarse black pepper

Parmesan Crisps:
1 cup shredded Parmesan

Remove and discard the leaves and thick core from the cauliflower, coarsely chop cauliflower, and set aside. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan or soup pot over medium heat and add the shallot, celery and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until softened, but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add the cauliflower florets and thyme and stir. Season again with salt.

Push the vegetables to the side of the pot. Melt the tablespoon of margarine or butter on empty side of pot and add flour to it. Cook for 1 minute, stirring the flour in the margarine/butter. Mix in chicken broth and milk. Bring up to a simmer and cook until the cauliflower is very soft and falling apart, about 15-20 minutes.

Remove from heat and puree soup using an emersion blender, food processor or blender and return to pot. Add the Parmesan and stir until smooth. Check seasoning and add salt and black pepper if needed. Keep warm until ready to serve.

Meanwhile, make the Parmesan crisps:
Line a baking sheet with parchment. Spread the shredded cheese over the parchment in 1 even thin layer. Bake about 10 minutes until golden brown and crisps. Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes. Break sheet of crisp cheese into large pieces and garnish each soup bowl with a couple of pieces.

Vegetable Soup...Good For You, Right???

Not always. But the Mixed Salad Annie version is!

This recipe is another from my favorite TV chef, Giada DiLaurentiis. I was a little disappointed with her this time though, since the sodium content in this soup is through the roof! The original recipe calls for 10 cups of vegetable broth. Assuming she is using canned broth, the sodium content in one cup is around 950 milligrams. Too much for me or anyone who wants to live another 10 minutes.

All is not lost. I revised the recipe by diluting the broth with water and adding in a few more herbs and flavorings. It was still very good. Very tasty. The trick is to make it a day ahead, so that the flavors have a chance to develop and meld.

By the way, this was my first time using LEEKS. The verdict: I'm a big fan. No nasty onion smell in the house and a sweet mellow flavor!! Two thumbs up!

Healthier Italian Vegetable Soup

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 leeks (white and pale green parts only), chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
6 zucchini, peeled leaving stripes and thinly sliced crosswise
2 (13 3/4-ounce) cans quartered artichoke hearts packed in water, rinsed & drained
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cans vegetable broth
6 1/4 cups water
6-7 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
4 ounces dried wide egg noodles
Freshly grated Parmesan or Romano

Heat the oil in a heavy large pot over medium heat. Add the leeks and saute until translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until tender, about 2 minutes. Stir in the zucchini and artichokes. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper. Saute until the zucchini are tender, about 10 minutes. Add the vegetable broth and water. Stir in the thyme and bay leaves and cook for 2 minutes. Cover the pot and bring the soup to a simmer. Decrease the heat to medium-low and simmer gently until the flavors develop, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes.
At this point I stopped the cooking, let the soup cool, refrigerated right in the same pot until ready to use the next day.
Reheat the soup on medium heat until it reaches a slow simmer then increase the heat to medium-high. Add the noodles and cook until al dente, stirring constantly, about 5 minutes.

Ladle the soup into bowls. Sprinkle with Parmesan and serve.