...ok. A long while.
You know how it is, life gets in the way. I've still been cooking, but the past few hectic months, the food hasn't really been inspired, not worth posting. Just not special.
Well, yesterday, that all changed. Looking through my fridge, I had a sudden epiphany: I was going to make roasted cauliflower soup. The weather is starting to turn cool, which means pureed soups are making their reappearance. The problem was that I had only a quarter of a head of cauliflower, which wouldn't make very much soup.
And in a moment of eureka, my roasted cauliflower, potato, and red bell pepper soup was born.
Roasted Cauliflower, Potato, and Red Bell Pepper Soup
with homemade croutons
Recipe below is double what I made, since I was making it for two and we ate ALL of it, easily. Feel free to even double again if you're making for more than 4 people.
1-2 tbs olive oil
1/2 head of cauliflower
2 red bell peppers
10 small red potatoes, peeled
6 cloves of garlic
2 tbs butter
1 yellow onion, diced finely
4 cups of chicken stock
2/3 cup milk
Salt & Pepper
Homemade Croutons (optional)
Chopped Basil (optional)
Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees.
To prepare the vegetables, cut the cauliflower into thick slices to get as much flat surface as possible; quarter the potatoes; cut the peppers into large chunks. Toss the three veggies with the peeled garlic cloves, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Spread out the veggies on a baking sheet, turning them with a flat, cut side down. Bake for 15 minutes, then flip the veggies, and bake for another 15 minutes. Look for a dark, caramelized color on the veggies. Remove and let cool for 5 minutes.
While the veggies cool, warm the butter in a large pot until melted. Add the onion and sautee until the onion starts to brown. Once the onion is slightly brown, add the chicken stock to de-glaze. Bring the onions and stock to a light simmer, then turn off the heat and let cool for 5 min.
Next, put all the veggies into a blender, and add the stock/onion mixture. Because I made such a small batch of soup, I was able to do this all in one step, but if you make the full recipe (or especially a double recipe) you may need to do this in batches.
Puree the mixture completely until smooth. Pour the puree back into the pot used for the stock/onions, and put the heat on low to get warm again. Add the milk and stir to incorporate. If you feel the soup is too thick at this point (it may be depending on the size of your potatoes or cauliflower), add a little more milk or stock.
Serve topped with homemade croutons and chopped basil.
