Cauliflower Leek Soup. It’s What’s for Dinner.
Cold night. Dawg curled up in pantry bathroom where the flooring from the radiant heat is the warmest, closest to the furnace. I always said she was smart. Busy week here so no interest in cooking much for dinner except soup and this one from Cooking Channel TV sounded healthy and delicious.
Creamy Cauliflower Soup
[recipe name a misnomer as there is neither cream nor milk in the soup]
INGREDIENTS
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 6 slices Pancetta, finely diced
- 1 leek, washed and dried, thinly sliced
- 6 cups organic chicken stock
- 1 small cauliflower, chopped into bite-size pieces
- 2 russet potatoes, diced
- 1 bay leaf
- 3/4 cup aged Cheddar cheese
- Pinch sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Fresh chives, minced
I didn’t have any pancetta in the house but I did have some Canadian Bacon rounds. Probably not as flavorful as the pancetta would be but worked in a pinch. Also, I didn’t have any chives but at first taste, it’s just fine without it.
Basic ingredients:
![IMG_0232[1]](http://earthoceanskyredux.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/img_02321.jpg)
Searing Canadian Bacon:
![IMG_0235[1]](http://earthoceanskyredux.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/img_02351.jpg)
Canadian Bacon removed, sliced leek now sauteed in same oil from pancetta
![IMG_0237[1]](http://earthoceanskyredux.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/img_02371.jpg)
Adding cauliflower and potato, cut into small pieces, plus one bay leaf. And chicken stock.
![IMG_0240[1]](http://earthoceanskyredux.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/img_02401.jpg)
Once cauliflower and potato are tender, take a full cup of cauliflower/potato and set aside. Soup is pureed in blender.
![IMG_0243[1]](http://earthoceanskyredux.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/img_02431.jpg)
Add cheddar cheese, salt and pepper. Needs alot of pepper. Not so much salt as the bacon and leek are already salty. Top with pancetta/bacon.
![IMG_0245[1]](http://earthoceanskyredux.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/img_02451.jpg)
REVIEW:
It looks like cream of wheat so on appearance I give it a zero. But it tastes good, although not sure why the leek was added. I do not taste it at all. I would say you could eliminate that ingredient, or increase the amount to make it a real added taste.
Overall, an “eh” soup. No depth of flavor. Still needs something. What, I’m not sure. But beats eating peanut butter sandwich, although the soup creation made for one heck of alot of bowls and spoons and knives to wash.
I’d opt for the peanut butter sammy. Sorry, but this looks like a blech mess.
Well, I am close to agreeing with you. If you change your mind and want any leftover, I can stop by tomorrow!
Love cauliflower soup, try this one next time: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/reviews/Roasted-Cauliflower-Soup-14521
I made soup tonight too, but a clean out the fridge/freezer ground meat and cabbage with wild rice. It was pretty good for fly by my pants recipe!
All the best,
Martha
I’m such a flake, sent comment with out full thoughts, as usual! The recipe link I sent doesn’t need the extra cream, and a stick mixer is your friend, I cannot abide the mess of blender soup, although I do have a fancy Blendtec that supposedly will cook the soup for you as we’ll…but every recipe they have starts out…”sautéed in a pan…” And at that point I might just as we’ll use the stick on it.
I’ll bet a dollop of chicken demi glace would have given it some depth of flavor.
I am not an accomplished cook, and when I finally stumbled upon demi glace, I concluded that “good” cooks — pro and home — were in a conspiracy intent on keeping this magic potion away from us peons. This feeling was confirmed when I askd around and learned that home cooks I admired did not buy their demi glacé in small overpriced glass jars from Williams Sonoma (as I did) but in containers the size of coffee cans or frozen slabs (resembling slabs of smoked salmon), on which they’d use a vegetable peeler to shave off the quantity they needed. What ELSE are they holding out on? :<)
I’m very impressed that you took photos after each step. Really good ones too. Looks delicious.
The Roasted Cauliflower soup sounds delicious and if you remember, I am addicted to the Bedford Gourmet’s roasted cauliflower they sell once a week. I have tried a few times to replicate it, never quite as successful. I shall try this soup. But not today as I am in colonoscopy training – clear liquids only!
Betty: with two chefs in the family, demi glace is often something that is in the fridge. They use it regularly when they cook. Dollop in my dictionary only applies to sour cream on a potato – make that TWO dollops!