Chunky Cauliflower Soup

I took a lesson from Pioneer Woman last night and cooked up this fabulous fall like soup for dinner because it really seemed like a soup kinda' night. I love our cool autumn days and dinners by the fireplace.

Of course it wouldn't be a JBug effort if the cook didn't make changes to the recipe. I added potatoes and ramped up the onion, carrot and celery too, threw in some cayenne pepper for added kick, and changed the method somewhat too. I did not make a bechamel like Ree did, but merely put flour, milk and an ice cube in a plastic container with a fitted lid and shook the heck out of it before adding it to the cooked veggies and chicken stock. Hey, I'm kinda' lazy that way.

What makes this cauliflower soup unusual is the chunky texture because there isn't an immersion blender in site never mind there's the addition of sour cream. Its tart creaminess adds a definite richness to each spoonful and a garnish of grated cheese had us both going back for an extra ladle or two.  

Big Guy's take on the dish - "it was good but I don't want to talk about the lack of meat and the sour cream - who would have ever thought". Next time I'll add a little bacon to the mix and that will take care of the resident carnivore, don't ya' think?

Chunky Cauliflower Soup from JBug’s Kitchen Antics adapted from pioneerwoman.com

1/3 cup butter

1 large onion, diced

2 carrots, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

1 large head cauliflower, roughly chopped

3 medium red potatoes, peeled and diced

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1 quart low sodium chicken stock

1 – 14 ounce can chicken stock

1 tablespoons chicken bouillon or 2 packages Swanson’s chicken flavor boost

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 ice cube

2 cups whole milk

1 cup half and half

1/2 cup sour cream or more as needed

Grated cheese as garnish

Melt butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions, carrots and celery and cook until vegetables soften. Add cauliflower, potatoes, salt, pepper and cayenne and stir well to incorporate. Add parsley, chicken stock and bouillon. Stir well, bring to a boil then lower heat, cover and simmer for 25 minutes or until vegetables are cooked. In a small container with a tight fitting lid, combine flour, ice cube and 1 cup of milk. Fasten lid and shake container until mixture is well combined. Add to soup along with remaining 1 cup of milk and half and half. Heat until mixture is almost boiling and thickened. To serve, ladle into bowls. Top with a heaping tablespoon of sour cream and garnish with grated cheese. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

A year ago - " Turkey Leftovers - The Hot Brown Sandwich"

Two year's ago -  Ranch Potatoes

Three year's ago - Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Caramel Sauce

Comments

[Lorraine]

It sure is soup weather. You can never go wrong with bacon, but the soup sounds great as is.

[June]

Thanks Lorraine - it is tasty and was even better today for lunch.

[Lea Callais]

That looks so luscious - and might I suggest a bit of smoked ham? Leaner than bacon - but full of smoky, meaty, pork goodness! But - I do love me some bacon any day, any way!

[June]

Lea - smoked ham would be a fabulous addition to this and I'll try it next time for sure.