Mother Cauliflower and Her Children

Chopped cauliflower.

It's gotten colder, and there's nothing to warm up a chilly day like a nice, hot cup of soup. I've made a lot of soups in my time, some of which I've posted here, so I wracked my brain (and my cookbooks) for something a little different to make. Thus, behold! The cauliflower.

Creamless (and yet, creamy) Cauliflower Soup
Makes 6-8 servings; prep time 15 min.; cook time 45 min.

Heat up 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in a coarsely chopped yellow onion and a minced rib of celery, cooking until the onion is a bit see-through. Add in 2 minced cloves of garlic. Stir for another 3 minutes or so.

Add in a coarsely chopped head of cauliflower and pour on 7 c. vegetable broth. Stir once, cover, and bring to a boil. Then turn the heat down low and simmer for about 25 min. The cauliflower should be tender. Turn the heat off and stir in ¼ c. roasted cashews. Let sit for 10 min. before pureeing nice and smooth. (Don't skimp on the puree; getting bits of cashew in your soup, while interesting, is still a bit weird. I went for a second puree before I heated it up the next day from the fridge, and the smoothness and creaminess is unparalleled.) Season with ¼ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg as well as salt and black pepper to taste.

Silky smooth soup!

---

Title inspiration: Mother Courage and Her Children (or Mutter Courage und ihre Kinder), an epic play by Bertolt Brecht. Premiered at Schauspielhaus Zürich, Switzerland, on 19 April 1941. Subsequent productions have featured a score by Paul Dessau. First produced on Broadway in 1963, directed by Jerome Robbins, starring Anne Bancroft.