Serves 4
AS A KID, I hated cauliflower with a passion. Now it’s my most beloved veggie. It’s magic. You can make this flowery friend into so many different amazing meals, as you will see in the book: pizza crust (here), mashed “potatoes” (here), knishes (here), and here, a buttery, creamy soup. Loaded with vitamin C, fiber, and so many other wonderful vitamins and minerals, cauliflower can give you the impression that you are eating comforting, filling, starchy food when you’re actually being practically puritanical.
This soup is the perfect example of cauliflower magic: It’s simple, quick, and tastes like it contains your old friends cream and butter—and yet, it’s completely 100 percent dairy free. It’s also an adaptable soup. I’ve made it in many different ways: extremely thick like a gravy, thinner with added “zoodles” (zucchini cut into spaghetti-like strands), or thinner for sipping from a mug. The soup just makes me happy, like I’m getting something very special. It’s so rich, you will think you’re being sinful, so enjoy the splurge that isn’t actually a splurge!
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for serving
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 large head cauliflower, leaves and stem removed, cut into large chunks
2 teaspoons Himalayan salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 bay leaf (dried or fresh)
4½ cups filtered water
In a large stockpot, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat until it shimmers and easily coats the pot. Add the onion and sauté until translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the cauliflower, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Stir to coat everything with the oil and seasonings, then add the water. Cover and cook until the cauliflower is tender enough that you can easily put a fork through it, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.
Remove and discard the bay leaf. Pour everything into a high-speed blender, including the cooking water. Start to blend on slow speed, and gradually increase the speed while adding the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, drizzled in a steady stream through the top of the blender. (You could use the immersion blender instead, blending it in the cooking pot.)
When everything is puréed, pour the soup into 4 bowls and drizzle with additional olive oil. Serve warm, at room temperature, or cold.
The soup keeps well for up to 1 month in the freezer—just in case you don’t finish every drop.