Dark Days: Cauliflower Soup

I've really been flagging on my Dark Days Challenge meals.  Since the challenge started, I've only been in country for one week.  I was lucky enough to spend my holidays in Belize with my boyfriend, but it means that I didn't do any cooking.  I did, however, do lots of sustainable and organic eating, but there is no photodocumentation of this.  Why?  Well, basically every dinner I had in Belize was had in near darkness.  No joke, it was like romantic lighting taken to the furthest extreme -- we're talking so dark you can hardly tell what you're eating, and you hold the votive candles up to your menu to order.  Absolutely everything I ate was delicious though; whether it was from one of the many resort restaurants we ate at or a local eatery.



Of course, I did get the stomach flu half way through the trip, gloriously on a day that we were traveling.  This really decreased the number of new things I got to try over the next few days, but I did get over it, and was well enough before the end of the trip to resume eating.



Upon returning stateside I promptly ate a hamburger, then some fish tacos, and then I didn't feel so well.  So I decided that my first home-cooked meal for the new year would be something with vegetables, and why not make it a Dark Days challenge?  I also love cauliflower soup, so I turned to this recipe from Pioneer Woman, because who doesn't trust good old PW?  The only cauliflower that my co-op had was orange, so I went with it.  I also forgot to buy celery, and just went with that too.  I prefer a slightly chunky soup and was too lazy to cut my vegetables small, so I ran the soup through my food processor.  The resulting texture was perfect for me, small chunks, still chewable, but definitely soup.  However, some people might have described the resulting appearance or texture as resembling something they were seeing for the second time...



For a creamier texture, you might try using your immersion blender or regular blender (working carefully with the hot liquid, after all).  Want something that doesn't resemble orange goop?  Use white cauliflower and omit the carrots, then puree.  A smooth, creamy, pale cauliflower soup would be worthy of presentation.

Cauliflower Soup, adapted from The Pioneer Woman
servings: 4-6
For serving, a little bit of Parmesan cheese would not go amiss, but I didn't add any, and it is lightly salted and peppered so you can salt and pepper to taste as you serve it.  PW suggests serving over a cup of sour cream, and mixing that into the soup, which would be delicious.  I went for a slightly lower-calorie option, and found this soup to be filling and hearty, yet not too heavy.  Perfect for a winter lunch.

6 tbs butter
1 onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 1/2 whole cauliflower heads, roughly chopped
2 tbs fresh parsley
1 quart vegetable broth
4 tbs flour
1 1/2 cups milk
3 tsp salt
pepper to taste

Sautee onions, celery, and carrot in 4 tbs of butter until translucent (or lightly browned, if that's your preference).  Add cauliflower heads to the pot, and allow to cook for 10 minutes.  Add parsley and vegetable broth, and simmer liquid for 20 minutes.

Melt 2 tbs butter in another saucepan.  Mix milk and flour in a small bowl or measuring cup, and pour it into the melted butter.  Allow this mixture to cook and thicken, then add to the vegetable soup mixture.  Simmer 15 to 20 minutes, and the resulting soup should thicken up.  At this point you can serve your soup, or puree it, simmer a little longer, and then serve.