Curried Cauliflower Soup with Apple and Cilantro Drizzle
Recipe Redux – January, 2013: “A Trend in Every Pot”
With the start of every new year comes the predictions of what new trends will be in store for us. Of course, my favorite lists are the food trends. Most notable was the prediction that people will want more food products that are healthy (great news!) We will also see more dishes where vegetables are the star of the meal, instead of on the side as backdrop to a piece of meat. If this is true, well, 2013 may prove to be a very heart-healthy year for many!
Since cauliflower is also one of the trendy veggies to have on your plate this year, I decided to give it center stage in this soup. The apple, ginger and curry flavors all complement the cauliflower nicely. To get extra flavor out of your curry spice blend, toast it in a dry pan over low heat for about a minute.
This soup is the perfect warmup on a chilly day. If you would like to add some additional heat with spice, slice a few fresh chilis and sprinkle over top.
After a few bites of this soup, how quickly you will realize it’s tasty to be trendy!
INGREDIENTS
(for soup)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large white onion, diced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and diced
1 pound cauliflower florets (about 5 cups)
4 teaspoons curry powder
2 cups vegetable stock
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/8 teaspoon salt
(for garnishes)
2 medium Granny Smith apples
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup cilantro, fresh
2 tablespoons apple juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
pinch salt
1 tablespoon pine nuts, toasted
20-30 cilantro leaves
PREPARATION
for soup: In a large soup pot, heat the 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and saute until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the fresh ginger and curry powder and saute another minute. Add the cauliflower and saute another 2 minutes. Add the vegetable stock, a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and 1/8 teaspoon of salt, stir, then cover and simmer until the cauliflower is tender, about 25 minutes.
Cool soup slightly, then puree in batches in a food processor until smooth. Serve warm.
for apple sticks: Add lemon juice to a medium bowl. Slice apple into matchstick pieces. Toss apple matchsticks in lemon juice to keep them from turning brown.
for cilantro drizzle: Add cilantro, apple juice, olive oil, honey, 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar and pinch of salt to blender; process until smooth.
To assemble: Ladle soup into bowl. With the back of a small spoon, mark where you want the cilantro drizzle to go on top of the soup, then drizzle onto marked area. Grab a bunch of apple matchsticks and carefully stack them onto the soup. Sprinkle several pine nuts and a few cilantro leaves over everything.
Serves 6-8.