Potato Cauliflower Rosemary Soup

This soup has only five ingredients aside from salt, pepper, and water, but it’s so delicious that you’ll question how that’s possible. It is very easy to make and can be done in about an hour. I was introduced to pureed roasted cauliflower soup while I was a cook. It is an example of how execution can really improve a dish. The cauliflower is first roasted to make it more flavorful, before it is pureed to form the base. Simply simmering raw cauliflower would not have the same results. It seems creamy even though there is not dairy in it.

Here I’ve added thinly sliced potatoes and rosemary to make it even more comforting. I garnish it with crispy rosemary, which is a little more work, but that is optional, and you can garnish however you wish. It does also make some rosemary infused oil that you can drizzle on top or save for a later use. I worked at an Italian restaurant years ago that finished cauliflower soup with truffle oil. It was heavenly.

Potato Cauliflower Rosemary Soup (Serves 6)

• 1 large head of cauliflower
• 3 oz olive oil
• 6 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 heaping T chopped rosemary (more if not doing the crispy rosemary garnish)
• 2 quarts water
• 1.5lbs yukon gold or fingerling potatoes
• kosher salt
• black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 450F. Roughly chop the cauliflower into pieces that are not more than an inch thick. Toss with the olive oil, garlic, and rosemary, and season with salt and pepper. Spread out on a sheet pan, and roast for about 30 minutes, until the cauliflower is nicely browned, tossing midway.
2. Put the cauliflower in a soup pot, scraping the sheet pan to get the crispy bits, and cover with the water. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 10 minutes until the cauliflower is very tender.
3. Meanwhile, cut the potatoes into bite sized pieces that are roughly a 1/4 inch in thickness. With fingerling potatoes you can just cut them in rounds. With larger potatoes I would probably cut first into quarters, and then into quarter inch pieces.
4. When the cauliflower is tender, remove from heat, and puree the cauliflower. This is easiest using an immersion blender, but you can use a regular blender. If you are using a regular blender you will probably need to do it in batches, and you should start on a low speed and gradually increase so that the soup does not come overflowing out of the top.
5. Return the pureed soup to the pot and burner. Add the potatoes and simmer for about 20 minutes until they are tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

For the Crispy Rosemary:

• large handful of thin rosemary sprigs
• 4 oz olive oil

1. Wash and dry rosemary. Put in a small sauce pan and cover with oil. It is okay if it’s not completely covered as the oil will rise a bit while cooking, but press down the rosemary as much as you can. Heat over medium high heat until it starts to bubble, and then lower to medium low heat.
2. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the bubbles mostly stop. Remove from heat. Use a slotted spoon to remove the rosemary. Allow to cool before removing the leaves from the stems to garnish. Save the oil for later use, such as roasted vegetables.