Soup Review—Silky Cauliflower Soup with Parmesan Crisps by Dave Lieberman

Generally, when speaking about cauliflower people either admire or loathe this white plant-looking vegetable with a strange name. Cauliflower? What does that mean, exactly? Personally, I've eaten a stalk or two in my day and am somewhat indifferent to it. I know, I know pretty lame response, but really I could take it or leave. However, I think a lot of the "take it" part comes from how it is prepared and knowing that it contains a heaping dose of vitamin C (for those of us who care about that sort of thing). When cooked and seasoned properly, cauliflower can take on a hearty and complex taste that can be a complement to any meal. For this weeks review, I decided to test this unique vegetable, but following a cauliflower soup recipe. I found one that was featured on Good Deal with Dave Lieberman, a program that showcases affordable and quick-prep meals. And easy it was! In less than 30 minutes I had a creamy cauliflower soup that used minimal ingredients and  didn't even use any cream (which is mainly why I choose this one), so it's possible to make this soup every day, perhaps with your own adjustment (or two)? I did make a slight adjustment, I added leeks since they were around, and I didn't make the parmesan crisps, simply because I didn't see it until the end...Oops!!! I ended up sprinkling some parmesan cheese and chives on top of the soup as a garnish, but I did include that part in the directions, if you would like to test that out for yourself.

Silky Cauliflower Soup with Parmesan Crisps

Recipe by Dave Lieberman from foodnetwork.com

• Cook Time: 25 min
  
  
• Level: Easy
  
  
• Yield: 4 to 6 servings
  
  

Ingredients:

• 1 head cauliflower
  
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 quart low-sodium chicken stock
• 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper 
• *1 leek, cut up (only white part)

*Seriously Soupy's addition

Crisps:

• 1 cup shredded Parmesan
• Chopped chives, for garnish

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Remove the leaves and thick core from the cauliflower, coarsely chop, and reserve. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan or soup pot over medium heat and add the onion and garlic. Cook until softened, but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add the cauliflower and stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until the cauliflower is very soft and falling apart, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and, using a hand held immersion blender, puree the soup, or puree in small batches in a blender* and return it to the pot. Add the Parmesan and stir until smooth. Season, to taste, with salt and black pepper. Keep warm until ready to serve.

Meanwhile, make the Parmesan crisps:

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spread the shredded cheese over the foil in 1 even thin layer. Bake about 10 minutes until golden brown and crisps. Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes. Break sheet of crisp cheese into large pieces and garnish each soup bowl with a couple shards and a pinch of fresh chives.

*When blending hot liquids: Remove liquid from the heat and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes. Transfer liquid to a blender or food processor and fill it no more than halfway. If using a blender, release one corner of the lid. This prevents the vacuum effect that creates heat explosions. Place a towel over the top of the machine, pulse a few times then process on high speed until smooth.

How do you make your cauliflower soup?

Seriously Soupy Serena

Citrus Barley and Chicken Soup

 Citrus Barley and Chicken Soup—Adventures with Barley-Part One

Citrus Barley and Chicken Soup

You may be asking yourself, what exactly prompted me to make a chicken soup with citrus? Well, basically the answer to that would be barely. I love this hearty grain and I especially wanted to test out a soup with it since one of my dearest, but not so nearest friends-Creative Flutter created a recipe using it as well. So instead of featuring one barley recipe this week I thought it would be interesting to feature two recipes that used a similar combination of ingredients, but that were prepared in two totally different ways. Where the citrus part came from, I haven't the faintest idea. I did know that I wanted to create a twist on a chicken soup and lemon chicken in a soup sounded interesting to me, so that was it. I then decided to include oranges, cranberries, and lemons as the base of the soup, hoping to create a tangy/semi-sour/savory soup with a zip without having any idea if this was even possible! Although I didn't know what the concoction would turn into, I enjoyed the process of trying to figure out the right level of citrus/sour, while attempting make it well, taste good! Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by this tangy and refreshing little citrus soup, although other people (Lonnie Feldman-occasional soupy writer) begged to defer by stating "I don't get why these flavors are put together." Oh well, to soup his own. Be sure to check out another variation of a chicken and barley soup tomorrow by the extraordinary Creative Flutter. Until then, here's how to create your own citrus soup:

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken
6-8 cups of water
2-3 cups of barley
1 zucchini, cut up
2-3 oranges, cut up into thick strips
2 lemons, cut up into thick strips
1/4 bag of fresh cranberries
1 leek, cut up
1 yellow onion, diced into squares
1 stalk of celery, cut up
1/2 bag of carrots, cut up
1 parsnip, cut up
dill, bunched together by string
parsley, bunched together by string
approximately 1 tablespoon of sea salt
1 teaspoon of pepper

Directions:
Essentially, you are beginning by making a chicken broth. I used Grandma Fay's recipe, but added leeks (had them on hand) and used a whole chicken (as opposed to chopping it up like I did in the past). Let the broth cook for about 2-3 hours, checking on it periodically. I found I had to keep the flame low and add some more water.  Then, cut up and add the oranges and lemons to the pot. While the soup is boiling, start boiling another pot of water (approximately 2 cups) where the cranberries will cook. While they cook the cranberries will make a popping sound as the berries release, so it's best to keep this pot covered as it cooks. I also didn't include the cranberries in the soup pot because I didn't want to add a red color to the soup, but if that doesn't bother you then no additional pot is required. When the cranberries are finished (approximately 10 minutes) add it to the soup pot, along with the barley and let that cook for another 30 minutes. I also added additional carrots, zucchini, and onions since they got very soft after cooking for 2-3 hours. This is completely optional though. Then add salt, pepper, and taste. The soup will be tangy, which is the intent, but if you prefer something a little more subtle, you can add more water and salt to dull some of the citrus. You can also opt to use less lemons/oranges if you like. Lower flame and enjoy!!!

P.S. Although I used chicken, there is no reason why you couldn't omit that part and use a veggie stock. Remember most recipes can be made vegetarian, you just have to tweak them a bit...

Seriously Soupy Serena