(Reminder to vote for my piece on Watermelon Mojitos for an #EDDYS2015 Award by clicking here! Vote daily until March 15!)
Here on Long Island we are having one of the coldest winters on record. Since you can’t reasonably spend the entire winter drinking hot toddies all day — as much as the idea appeals –, the second best, more sensible and certainly more sustainable response is soup.
Light winter lunch
Here is an easy-peasy soup recipe that is warming and light, inspired by my dear friend Deborah Rivera Pittorino’s matchless soups at her restaurant La Cuvee Seafood & Grille in the heart of Long Island’s North Fork wine country. She shares some her recipes on her blog, The Seasoned Fork, by the way.
This recipe adds a little nuttiness (nutty flavor, not crazy person nuttiness) by dry roasting the cauliflower for 10 minutes. This amount makes four appetizer servings or two meal-size bowls and reheats really well in the office microwave for lunch!
Office lunch
Roasted Cauliflower and Leek Soup
3 Cups cauliflower (stems and florets, trimmed)
1 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs butter (salted or unsalted)
3 Cups leeks, white and pale green part, carefully cleaned and sliced into ¼ inch rounds
1 Qt veggie stock (if using store-bought, choose low sodium and season accordingly)
¼-1/2 Cup milk (optional)
1 tsp mild curry powder
salt & pepper to taste
On a baking sheet or in a baking pan roast cauliflower at 400˚F for about 10 minutes (I do it in my fancy, full-service Breville toaster oven) until getting browned at the edges.
In the meantime, heat the olive oil and butter in a heavy-bottomed soup pot at medium. When the foaming subsides, add the leeks. Stirring occasionally, allow the leeks to get very soft (5-10 minutes). Add the cauliflower, stir and cook a minute or two. Add the stock, bring to a boil, then add curry, lower heat, add milk and simmer for at least 30 minutes, until cauliflower is falling apart. Using an immersion blender or (in batches) a blender or food processor, blend until you reach the desired smoothness. Season to taste and serve, topped with a dollop of plain yogurt or croutons if you like.
You might also like
Hot, Cheap & Easy 
Reblogged this on Chef Ceaser.
Thanks so much for the reblog…I hope you enjoy this soup! I certainly did….
There’s nothing better than roasted cauliflower. I can’t imagine having it any other way! Yummy soup recipe, thank you!
I love cauliflower mashed as well…am working on a recipe….
Thanks for the visit and the comments…love hearing from you!
Sounds great – perfect for lunch 😉
Yes indeed. It saved my life last week as I had enough for two lunches…it is the small pleasures that make life good!
Hot lunch makes such a big difference when it’s freezing cold outside.
Awe. Thanks dear. Will get my act together to finally do your book review!
Sent from my iPhone
No hurry! I am in a re-edit and need to put it back on the market! (One more of those things I should be doing, but haven’t the time for….)