Roasted Cauliflower and Carrot Soup

I still have a few things stocked away from my summer CSA share.  I have 6 pumpkins and 2 acorn squash waiting for an afternoon project.  I also have a stockpile of garlic and onions.  With the unseasonably warm weather we are having right now, the farm is still producing.  Titus Farms even sent an email out to the CSA participants this week to let us know that they would be at the Lansing City Market with their fall bounty.  I picked up a head of cauliflower and a bunch of carrots with this soup in mind!

The basic idea for this soup was made up in my mind, but I am sure there are several recipes out there that inspired me.  After all, I do read a lot of cookbooks, food magazines and food blogs!

Roasted Cauliflower and Carrot Soup

1 medium head of cauliflower

3 large carrots

1 medium onion

4 cloves of garlic

2 T Olive Oil

2 t Hot Curry Powder (or to taste)

4 cups low sodium Chicken Broth/Stock

1/2 t sea salt

Wash and cut cauliflower, carrots and onion and chop coarsely.  Place in roasting pan and add whole garlic cloves.  Toss with 2T Olive Oil and 1 or 2 teaspoons of Hot Curry Powder.  Roast in a 400 F Oven for 25-30 minutes, shaking pan every 10 minutes.  Transfer vegetables to a stock pot and add chicken stock.  Season with sea salt and add additional Curry Powder if needed.  Bring to a boil and turn down heat.  Allow soup to simmer for an additional 20-25 minutes or until vegetables are very tender.  Add 1 c water to make up for evaporation.  Turn off the heat and puree soup to desired consistency with an immersion blender. 

Makes 4 servings

This smells unbelievable while it is roasting!

When they come out of the oven they should be golden, caramelized and “almost” tender.

I used the Trader Joe’s Low Sodium Chicken Broth.  It comes in a box and luckily, one box contains roughly 4 cups of broth.  I allowed it to simmer for at least 25 minutes.  I also added one cup of water to replace the liquid lost to evaporation.  I ended up doubling up on the curry powder at this point, using 2 t total.  I am a big fan of curry and like it a little on the hot side.  This is totally a matter of personal preference!

This is one of my favorite kitchen tools.  It is one of the original Braun stick blenders that came out in the mid 90s, before they started coming with all the whistle and bell attachments.  It still works perfectly.  If the soup is too thick, add a little water or chicken broth at this point.  Taste and adjust seasoning (salt and/or curry powder) as needed.  O.K., I will admit to adding “just another shake” of Curry Powder.  No wonder Corky wasn’t happy that the apartment smelled like Curry (again) when he came home…oops!

This soup was excellent and it was nice to use my end of the season bounty from Titus Farms to make something nutritious and tasty!  It will also make a great lunch to take to work tomorrow.  It was creamy and thick without the need to add cream or half and half to it.  It could also easily be made vegetarian by substituting Vegetable Broth for the Chicken Broth.