Cauliflower Soup

If you’re anything like me, you regularly come home from the farmers’ market with far more than you can eat. So much freshness, so many deals and all of it so hard to resist. Plus you never know what will have vanished by the following week according to Mother Nature’s whims. One has to get their fill while they can.

At the moment, I have a something purple in my crisper that needs finishing up – whether it’s a little turnip or a kohlrabi, I’m not sure.

There are also a couple of pints of blueberries and a bowl of cherries in there that are nearing the end of their rope. Neither are tempting as far as eating out of hand, but that’s where the fun begins.

The cherries can be pitted and chopped, then thrown into muffins or something a little more decadent. As for the blueberries, I looked them up in my small-batch preserving book and found a fabulous sounding recipe for Maple Blueberry Conserve with Walnuts. In their newfound form, my ailing berries will be fantastic mixed with yogurt or spread on a piece of hot toast.

This soup is a favourite I discovered last summer when a large head of cauliflower was biding its time in my fridge. It serves six to eight and comes from Amelia Saltsman’s The Santa Monica Farmers' Market Cookbook. It freezes beautifully and is warm and soothing come the cool fall months.

I have made no adjustments here, as the recipe stands up perfectly on its own. It's a great way to showcase some of those fresh herbs you may be growing on your porch, too. The best part about it is the peas, a sweet, happy burst when you get one in a mouthful. They can still be found at the markets if you look carefully.

If you don't have an immersion blender, I can't recommend one highly enough. (If you're not sure what I'm talking about, a Google image search should clear it up). I use mine all the time, mainly to make salad dressings and puree soups. They clean up so much faster than a regular blender or food processor and, when it does come to hot soup, there is none of the scariness involved in transferring it from pot to blender.

Indian-Style Cauliflower Soup with English Peas

2 tbsp canola or other mild cooking oil

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp ground turmeric

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/8 to 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp kosher or sea salt

1 onion, chopped

1 large clove garlic, finely hopped

1 tbsp minced fresh ginger

1 large head cauliflower (about 2 pounds), cut into small florets

1/2 cup water

4 to 6 cups chicken or vegetable stock

1 cup shelled English peas (about 1 pound in the pod)

1/2 lime

small handful each of fresh mint, chives and cilantro, chopped

In a wide pot, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and stir until brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the ground spices, pepper flakes and salt and cook until fragrant, 30 to 60 seconds. Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the remaining tablespoon of oil and the onion, and sauté until translucent and soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and cook 1 minute. Stir in the cauliflower and water, cover, raise the heat to medium, and cook for 5 minutes. Add 4 cups stock, re-cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer gently until very tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

Use an immersion blender or regular blender (if so, do it in batches) to puree the soup, leaving a little texture. Add the remaining 2 cups stock as needed to achieve the consistency of heavy cream. Return the soup to medium-low heat, add the peas, cover and simmer until the peas are tender but still bright green, about 5 minutes. Give the soup a squeeze of lime and serve with a sprinkling of the herbs.