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ingredients
easy cauliflower and bacon soup
(yield:3-4 liters of soup)
I love grocery shopping this time of year. All the produce is so cheap and at its absolute best. Cauliflower was on for $1 a head and these things were huge so I bought two. It was a little cold out that day so I thought a nice cauliflower soup would be nice to warm things up. This recipe is easy to make and has a very nice flavour to it. The nice thing about puree soups is that the vegetables can be roughly chopped instead of perfectly diced. I topped it with crispy fried onions and bacon bits. Enjoy!
2 large heads of cauliflower washed and cut into pieces
2 medium yellow onions rough diced
3 cloves garlic rough diced
4 strips bacon
2 Yukon gold potatoes roughly cubed
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground cumin
3-4 liters chicken stock
2 large bay leaves or several small ones
1 cup 2% milk
2 Tbsp butter
Salt and Pepper to taste
For the topping
1 medium yellow onion finely sliced
1 cup all purpose flour
1.5 tsp salt
1.5 tsp pepper
2 medium yellow onions rough diced
3 cloves garlic rough diced
4 strips bacon
2 Yukon gold potatoes roughly cubed
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground cumin
3-4 liters chicken stock
2 large bay leaves or several small ones
1 cup 2% milk
2 Tbsp butter
Salt and Pepper to taste
For the topping
1 medium yellow onion finely sliced
1 cup all purpose flour
1.5 tsp salt
1.5 tsp pepper
1. Cut your bacon into small pieces. On medium low heat in a large soup or pasta pot cook your bacon until it is browned and crispy.
2. Remove your bacon bits and reserve for garnish. Discard 1/2 of the bacon fat in the pot.
3. Add the onions and garlic to the pot and sauté until they are translucent.
4. Add your cauliflower, potatoes and cover with chicken stock. Use enough stock to cover the vegetables as seen in the below photo.
5. Simmer on medium heat until the vegetables are fork tender.
6. Remove the bay leaves and using an emersion blender blend up the mixture until there are no visible lumps. If you don't have an emersion blender use a conventional blender and do in batches.
7. Strain the soup through a sieve to remove any fibrous bits and chunks.
8. Place back on the heat and add the cumin, nutmeg and milk.
9. Now it is time to test your thickness. The soup should have the consistency of a thick cream soup and coat the back of a spoon. If it is too thick add more chicken stock. If it is too thin let it reduce on the heat until it is ready. It is pretty much a matter of preference.
10. Add your butter and salt and pepper to taste.
11. When you are ready to serve coat your thinly sliced onions in the all purpose flour.
12. Heat about 1" of canola oil in a small frying pan. When you think your oil is hot enough add a single onion piece to it and if it jumps around and cooks quickly you are ready to do the rest.
13. Add the rest of the onions to the pan and cook until they are brown and crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon or a slotted spatula and place in paper towel.
14. Top your soup with the onions and the heated bacon bits you had on reserve.
Enjoy!
2. Remove your bacon bits and reserve for garnish. Discard 1/2 of the bacon fat in the pot.
3. Add the onions and garlic to the pot and sauté until they are translucent.
4. Add your cauliflower, potatoes and cover with chicken stock. Use enough stock to cover the vegetables as seen in the below photo.
5. Simmer on medium heat until the vegetables are fork tender.
6. Remove the bay leaves and using an emersion blender blend up the mixture until there are no visible lumps. If you don't have an emersion blender use a conventional blender and do in batches.
7. Strain the soup through a sieve to remove any fibrous bits and chunks.
8. Place back on the heat and add the cumin, nutmeg and milk.
9. Now it is time to test your thickness. The soup should have the consistency of a thick cream soup and coat the back of a spoon. If it is too thick add more chicken stock. If it is too thin let it reduce on the heat until it is ready. It is pretty much a matter of preference.
10. Add your butter and salt and pepper to taste.
11. When you are ready to serve coat your thinly sliced onions in the all purpose flour.
12. Heat about 1" of canola oil in a small frying pan. When you think your oil is hot enough add a single onion piece to it and if it jumps around and cooks quickly you are ready to do the rest.
13. Add the rest of the onions to the pan and cook until they are brown and crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon or a slotted spatula and place in paper towel.
14. Top your soup with the onions and the heated bacon bits you had on reserve.
Enjoy!
roughly chopped and cleaned
now that's a big cauliflower
bacon drippings are perfect for the flavour base to this soup
Just getting ready to simmer
Suggested Drink Pairing
resiling
spanish sherry
spanish sherry
additional photographs
design
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