Roasted Cauliflower Soup with Cumin and Coriander
While sheltering in place during the pandemic, I was introduced to this tasty soup by my friend Nathalie who claims it’s “probably one of my favorite soups in the world.” And now it’s one of mine as well, when I have the time.
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 1 1/2 hours
- Total Time: 0 hours
- Yield: 7 cups (serves 6-8 as a first course, 4 as a main course)
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower (about 2 1/2 cups) trimmed and cut into 1″ pieces (9-10 cups)
- 1 medium yellow onion sliced 1/4″ thick
- 2 tbls extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbls butter (or additional olive oil)
- salt and fresh ground pepper
- 1/2 tsp mustard seed
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 1/2 tsp ground corriander
- 1/2 to 1 jalapeno or serrano pepper (seeded and minced)
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 3-5 cups chicken broth (homemade or canned low sodium; veggie broth substitute works as well)
- 1/2 lemon
- Fresh cilantro leaves torn of chopped into small pieces (garnish)
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400 degrees
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Toss cauliflower in a bowl with 2 tblsp olive oil and season with salt and pepper then spread it out in one even layer on parchment paper
- Roast in over for 20 mins then stir with spatula and roast another 30-40 minutes until tender and stems easy to pierce with a fork; let it brown but not burn; remove any pieces getting too cooked
- Meanwhile – melt butter (or olive oil) in a large pot or saucepan and add the onion, celery and a pinch of salt stirring occassionally until tender (8-10 mins)
- Add garlic, corriander, chili, cumin, mustard seeds and pepper to saucepan and cook (stirring occasionally) an additional 2 mins (until fragrant)
- Remove cauliflower from oven, let cool slightly and slide into pot using parchment paper as a sleeve
- Pour enough broth into pot to cover vegetables (about 3 cups) and bring to a simmer then partially cover and simmer another 15 mins or until very soft then remove from heat and let cool
- Working in batches puree the soup in a standing blender being sure to get a good mix of solids and liquid for even consistency; add extra broth if too thick but avoid making it runny
- Return all soup to the pot once pureed and heat over medium heat then squeeze in lemon juice and stir (add additional broth and salt and pepper if needed)
- Serve in bowls and garnish with cilantro (optional: add your favorite croutons)