Bring me some Cauliflower Soup

Cauliflower has intimidated me for a long time. In fact, I tried to make some cauliflower mash potatoes one time. You know that recipe. They failed miserably!!! Just about as bad as some artichokes I attempted once (who said those were easy??). Upon reading a purchased Family Circle magazine from DFW Airport, I found this fascinating Cauliflower Soup recipe. Could this be the recipe where I triumph over the vegetable that looks kinda like broccoli, but is never really a substitute on the veggie tray at parties?

A couple of things...this recipe is time intensive and it's good if you have to be at the house for a couple of hours. I found myself finally putting up fall decorations in between steps and working on my Halloween costume. Also, if you've been DYING to break out your emulsion blender that you got for your wedding (yep, random appliance-from-the-back-of-the-cabinet-usage!), this one's for you! Oh, and the best part about this is that you should be able to find everything locally.

Cauliflower Soup
1 head of cauliflower, chopped into florets
1 large onion, cut into pieces (any color will do as I used the purple ones in season here in Tunisia)
1 or 2 cloves of garlic, sliced into halves (you can use more if you love garlic and might be afraid that Dracula is lurking outside!)
2 TBsp of olive oil
2 cans of chicken broth (I used 2 chicken bouillon cubes to make 3 1/2 -4 cups of stock. This trick works great when you can't get cans of broth)
1 bay leaf
1 tsp of thyme (it calls for fresh, but I dug into my spice drawer for dried)
1 cup of half and half (you can substitute whole, 2%, or skim milk if you are trying to fit into your Marine Ball dress!)
1 tsp of salt (or more for taste)
1/8 tsp of pepper

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place cauliflower florets, onion pieces, and garlic clove halves in a roasting dish. Toss with olive oil. Bake for 30 minutes, tossing mixture 1/2 way through. (Work on your Halloween costume during this time :) ).

Take roasted veggies out of oven and add to a large pot on the stove. Add chicken broth and 1 cup of water. Add bay leaf and thyme. Bring to boil. Turn down heat to simmer for 20 minutes.
(Check email and Lunching Ladies Overseas Recipes!).

Remove bay leaf. Take emulsion blender and blend mixture until smooth (either in the pot or a separate bowl). If you don't have one of these, you can transfer small batches to a food processor or blender. Return to the large pot and add half and half, salt and pepper. Heat through and serve warm.

Now, I know this one took a while, but trust me, you never thought cauliflower could taste so good. And it is filling! By the way, if you ARE watching your calories (or points!), the recipe is great if you opt for the whole, 2%, or skim milk. Bon apetite!