Indian-Inspired Roasted Cauliflower Soup

If you have never roasted cauliflower, here is a great reason to try it. Some of cauliflower’s best flavors are only released by roasting. While other cooking methods can make it mushy, bland, and watery, roasting it develops a toasty, earthy sweetness. Combined with either a leek or white onion, it’s happy to dance with a curry powder or other Indian-inspired spice blend. I developed this recipe with MOLA’s Indian Spice Blend, as part of a project with LaFortune Jeannette Djabea, founder and president of MOLA Foods. Feel free to try it with your own favorite curry powder, but I have linked to the MOLA blend to make it easy for you to try it as well. 🙂 The finished soup is creamy, but with just enough texture to be robust and satisfying. Oh, and it gets The Husband’s approval, which is high praise, considering his dislike of cauliflower in general.

If you cannot get leeks, or the leeks in the produce section are sub-par (read: all green and almost no white), you can substitute a large white onion.

Ingredients:

• 1 head of cauliflower, trimmed
• 1 leek, trimmed and cleaned OR 1 large white onion, trimmed and peeled
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon MOLA Indian-inspired Spice Blend, or your favorite curry powder
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 400 deg. F. Slice the cauliflower into 1/2-inch thick slices. (It’s fine if they fall apart.) Cut the leek into 2-inch pieces. (OR cut the onion into quarters, then cut the quarters in half cross-wise into chunks.) Place the vegetables on a baking sheet with a rim, and drizzle them with the olive oil. Season them with the Indian-inspired blend, and toss them gently to coat evenly. Spread the vegetables into a single layer on the baking sheet.
2. Bake in the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes, until tender and caramelized. Remove from the oven, and let cool until you can handle them.
3. Meanwhile, melt butter in a large (3-quart) soup pot over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, whisking, for 1 minute.
4. Add 1 cup of broth to the pot, whisk until smooth, and allow to thicken slightly. Repeat this process until all the broth is in the pot. Whisk until smooth, and lower the heat to low.
5. Transfer the cauliflower and leek to the bowl of a food processor, add the water, and process until smooth. Transfer to the soup pot, raise the heat to bring the soup to a simmer, and stir or whisk the soup until it is smooth and well blended. Simmer for 5 minutes, then taste, and add salt and pepper. (The salt level will depend on how salty the vegetable broth and seasoning blend are. You may not need added salt.)
6. Remove from the heat. Stir in the parsley and lemon juice.