Creamy Roasted Cauliflower and Artichoke Soup

he first time I was introduced to cauliflower soup was at a dinner party.  I thought Yuk, really?  But I didn’t want to be rude, so I tried it and it turned out to be very good, and healthy to boot!  I thought I would put a little spin on it and add some artichokes, as well as roast the vegetables, because I think roasted vegetables are 10 times better than any other cooking style and they retain all of their nutrients.  It sounds like a win-win to me!  This is a very flavorful, hearty soup that is elegant enough for company, but simple to put together.
Serves 4
Ingredients:

1 Head cauliflower, cut up into florets
1 Tbsp. Granulated Garlic
1 large Shallot, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1 Tsp. thyme
1 1/2 C. Chicken Broth, or Vegetable Broth
3 whole cloves garlic
1/2 C. Parmesan
1/2 C. Heavy Cream
1 can Artichoke Hearts, juice reserved

First, Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Arrange your cauliflower, artichokes and 3 whole garlic cloves (in their paper) on a foil lined baking sheet for easy clean up, and drizzle with olive oil.  Then sprinkle with granulated garlic, salt and pepper.

Bake for about 40 minutes, until everything is light golden brown.  Looking good already…

In the meantime, heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a sauce pan and sauté the shallots for about 5-7 minutes, until they are soft.  Then add the thyme and sauté for about 1 minute more.

When the cauliflower is cooked, remove the roasted garlic and set aside.  Place cauliflower, artichokes and shallot mixture in the blender in batches with some broth in each batch and blend until all of the veggies are smooth and creamy.  You can also use a hand blender and just blend it in the pot.

Transfer the mixture into a stock pot and add the roasted garlic to the soup by squeezing the paste out of it’s paper jackets.  Then add  the reserved artichoke liquid and the parmesan cheese.  Heat the soup to a low simmer for about 20 minutes so the cheese melts and the garlic has a chance to incorporate into the soup.  Then add the final ingredient, the heavy cream.  Ok, so the soup was really healthy before I added the heavy cream, but trust me, it’s worth it!

Ladle the soup into bowls and drizzle with a little bit of olive oil.  I usually serve it with some crusty french bread for mopping!  It’s Dangerously Yummy!

Check out my blog at www.theviewfrom8600ft.com for step by step instructions to this and many other recipes