Cauliflower Soup

As I mentioned before I'm obsessed with soups and this recipe only proves my recent obsession with soup even more. Enjoy!

Needed:
3 heads garlic
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil (plus more for drizzling)
3 white onions, peeled and thinly sliced
4 heads cauliflower: 3 cored and thinly sliced, 1 broken into small florets
1 tablespoon chopped thyme
1 cup dry white wine
6 cups veggie stock (plus more to thin, if desired)
2 cups heavy cream (plus more to thin, if desired)
2 1/2 cups (plus 3 tablespoons) finely grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Preparation:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees
• Cut off tops of garlic heads
• Place each on a piece of parchment-lined aluminum foil
• Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and drizzle with olive oil
• Wrap tightly in foil, and bake until garlic is very soft, about 1 hour
• Let cool
• Squeeze garlic from peel; set aside
• Increase oven to 350 degrees

• Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a large pot over medium-low heat.
• Add onions; season with salt and pepper.
• Cook, stirring, until soft but not browned. 
• Stir in sliced cauliflower and wine.
• Simmer until wine is reduced by half. 
• Add stock; bring to a simmer. 
• Cover and cook for 20 minutes. 
• Remove cover, and simmer until cauliflower is soft, about 15 minutes. 
• Remove from heat.

• Stir in cream and 2 1/2 cups Parmesan. 
• Season with salt and pepper. 
• Stir in garlic. 
• Puree in batches until smooth. 
• Thin with more stock or cream, if desired. 
• Return to pot; keep warm on low heat.

• Heat remaining 1/4 cup olive oil over high heat in a saute pan until almost smoking. 
• Add cauliflower florets, stirring until browned. 
• Season with salt and pepper. 
• Transfer pan to oven and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. 
• Stir in thyme, parsley, and remaining 3 tablespoons Parmesan. 

 
  To serve: Ladle soup into bowls, and garnish with cauliflower florets.

Kevin had eaten this soup many times before but it was our first attempt to make it ourselves and I must say we did a fabulous job. The soup turned out even better than we expected. I can't wait to try this again or mix things up and do a cheesy-broccoli version!