Made an awesome soup last night. I called it Spiced Cream of Cauliflower Soup
It's a successful marriage of 2 recipes our singing group made for our performances of The Elizabethan Rout when I was in high school (Creme of Cauliflower and Kreme of Almond). I combined them and then made a few flavorful additions. This turned out great, and everybody, including my hubby, loved it. I was hoping to have some for lunch today, but when I went to the fridge, both kids had packed and taken the leftovers to work. I'm going to make another batch and try freezing it. I might try it without adding the cream, then add a tablespoon of cream into each serving after I reheat the frozen soup. Although if I add it before freezing, then each serving is ready to go when removed from the freezer.
Spiced Cauliflower Soup
2 lb bag of cauliflower florets
6 cups of stock (I used chicken)
1/2 cup of sliced almonds, toasted in a dry pan
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, minced
1 tbls olive oil
1/2 tsp Harissa (or chili paste)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper, scant
1 to 2 tbls lemon juice
1/4 cup heavy cream
Toast the almonds until golden. Throw all ingredients except the lemon juice and heavy cream into a stock pot and cook, covered, to a slow boil over med-low to medium heat until cauliflower is soft. It took mine about 45 minutes. Turn off the heat and let cool slightly. Use an immersion blender to blend everything together until puréed. Add the heavy cream, blend again, and stir in lemon juice to taste. Top each serving with a dash of black pepper, additional minced cilantro, and some additional toasted almonds. You can also add chives to the topping.
This made four to five 1.5 to 2-cup bowls.