Winter Soup Strategy & Creamy Cauliflower Vegetable Soup

When the snow is on the ground, nothing warms me up like a thick bowl of soup. Knowing it’s good for me makes it taste even better.

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Some days, fortified with rum-laced hot toddy, I empty all the vegetables in the crisper and start to make soup. My cauldron bubbles with vegetable goodness and makes the whole house smell wonderful. As much as I love spending time in the kitchen, sometimes I just want to heat and eat. When it’s cold, I want something warm, nutritious, and easy. Soups and stews fit the bill perfectly. It takes nearly the same amount of time to make a large batch as a small one. By filling a soup pan to the brim I always have several pints to stock in the freezer.

Eating the same soup for a week can get boring so I like to make a few large batches and rotate my favorites.

Tips about freezing soups & stews.

Some soups freeze better than others but all can be frozen. If eaten within a reasonable amount of time, say three months, the flavor won’t be impacted. What might change a bit is the texture. Pureed soups have a tendency to separate when thawed unless there is some kind of thickener, like flour or corn starch. The texture will return if you re-blend it but I don’t usually bother.

After one-day in the fridge, I freeze, either in bags or plastic containers, and stack them in the freezer. I wait a day to make sure the soup is thoroughly chilled before freezing but also so I have a better idea of how much to keep to eat and how much to store for later.

Creamy Cauliflower Vegetable Soup 

(vegetarian or vegan depending on stock preference)

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This soup takes advantages of the wonderful blend ability of cauliflower. Cauliflower is on everyone’s radar as it’s been touted as a replacement for  everything from mashed potatoes and rice as well as an ingredient in pizza dough, for it’s malleability in recipes. 

By pureeing cauliflower, onions, and celery,  this recipe’s base is surprisingly filling. Great additions are chopped turkey, chicken, cheddar, chick peas, farrow 

I use my Vitamix to chop the cauliflower. It cooks much faster this way. A blender will work as well. Hack the cauliflower into chunks, put them in the blender and cover with water. You can chop it as finely as you want. Then pour the whole thing into the pot.

Recipes like these are simple with just a few ingredients. The important part of making simple recipes like these sing is to use proper techniques. 

I like using the chicken stock paste (I use Better Than Bouillon) because it takes up very little space and one jar goes a long way. I can adjust the flavorings. I don’t use any other salt.

Creamy Cauliflower Vegetable Soup

Serves 10

Vegetables:

Roughly chop:

4 C cauliflower

2 C onions

2 C cups celery

2 C thickly grated zucchini

1-2 C julienned carrots (I buy them pre-cut) Note on carrots: They sweeten the soup. Use to taste.


Stuff already in your cabinet:

White wine to deglaze, Chicken stock paste, water to cover, black pepper

  1. Saute onions in soup pot over medium heat until browned. Turn up the flame, Deglaze with white wine, lower flame back to medium.

  2. Add celery, cover. Cook 5-10 minutes

  3. Add cauliflower and water. Turn flame to high until simmering, then turn back to medium. Add freshly ground pepper to taste. Simmer for ten minutes. 

  4. Use hand blender to puree.

  5. Add carrots, zucchini. Simmer five more minutes. ENJOY!!

Deborah Norkin