The Beatles, Creme Fraiche and Spicy Cauliflower Soup

One of my favorite radio stations, the Current, was playing 50 Beatle songs all listener chosen yesterday- great ones like Pennylane, Rocky Raccoon, With A Little Help From My Friends, etc.. I think it was half-way through and good timing because I was in the kitchen. I love being in the kitchen with some great tunes on. I started early in the afternoon on a spicy cauliflower soup, inspired by Alice Water’s The Art of Simple Food.

I had an abundance of cauliflower from the farmer’s market and I don’t know if you’ve noticed but I’m craving soup or bisque. I love making simple things that turn out lovely on their own. Soup is so wonderful for this in so many ways. One, you can put almost any topping or combination of ingredients in/on the soup and subtly change the flavor to go with your mood. Another reason would be that they are usually low in calories and quite filling. Plus, the color and texture can be so pure that it’s hard not to sit and marvel at its poignancy. I find that when I try to make something look good, it has a tendency to backfire. You should see me when I put makeup on.

Without further ado spicy cauliflower soup.

Spicy Cauliflower Soup
Serves 8-10

Ingredients:
¼ cup olive oil
½ red onion, minced
½ cup carrot, peeled and chopped
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp chili powder
½ tsp turmeric
¼ tsp dried chile flakes
1 chipotle in adobo (optional)
salt/pepper
½ cup chopped cilantro
1 large head of cauliflower trimmed of greens and chopped (about 6 cups)
4 cups of chicken broth
2 cups water
crème fraiche or sour cream for topping (or roasted red pepper strip and feta)

Heat oil over medium in soup pot and add onion, carrot, cumin, coriander, chili powder, turmeric, chile flakes and salt/pepper. When softened, add cilantro, chipotle in adobo, cauliflower, broth and water. Bring to a boil, stir and reduce heat to simmer for 30 minutes, until cauliflower is soft. Place in blender (maybe cool a bit) to puree and return to pot to simmer until ready to serve. Add crème fraiche, sour cream or whatever you wish to top it off.

Here is my crème fraiche recipe: 1 cup heavy whipping cream and 2 tbsp buttermilk (whole fat) – stirred and placed into a glass jar then covered, allowing to sit at room temp (70 degrees) for 8-24 hours. This should be thick in the end and stirred. If room temp is cooler than 70, it could take up to 36 hours for bacteria to do its thing. Refrigerate-should last up to 10 days or so.