daily soup

Dave is desperately afraid of wasting away to nothing on his soup diet, and so I made today’s soup: cauliflower cheese. This is not one of those, “serve before the main course” soups. Oh no! This is a meal (or several) in itself soup. I think I could pretty much eat this soup every day of the remaining 53 days, but that would be very bad for my cholesterol levels. By the way, I’m beginning to realize that a daily soup post might get a little boring (though, just think about how boring it is for those of us eating them every day…) so I might cut down. Or you can just skip the soup posts.

Cauliflower Cheese Soup
2 heads cauliflower, cut into 1″ florets
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper
1 onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons flour
1 quart chicken broth
2 cups milk
2 cups grated sharp or extra sharp cheddar
3 tablespoons brandy (or port, but i didn’t have port so used brandy)

1. preheat the oven to 425º
2. toss the cauliflower in a bowl with 1/4 cup olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper.
3. spread the cauliflower in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 12 minutes. using tongs, turn the cauliflower over and bake for another 12-15 minutes. cauliflower should be soft and slightly browned, but not burnt.
4. chop the onion and saute in the olive oil in a large soup pot until slightly soft. Add the flour and continue to cook 5 minutes.
5. add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes more.
6. when the cauliflower is done, add to the soup pot, and mix with the onion and garlic. add the broth, bring to a simmer and cook, partially covered, for 1/2 hour, or until cauliflower is very soft.
7. add the milk and the grated cheese.
8. puree in a food processor, then return to the pot.
9. reheat if necessary, and add the brandy or port