Cauliflower soup: mmmmm good.

A great thing happened to me today --  this great thing has been quite foreign the last few weeks (months if I am honest).  This great thing took hold of me in Idaho History class, approximately 11:45 a.m., and I could not shake it.  In fact, this great thing was so strong I drove to the grocery store immediately after class for ingredients.

This great thing . . . the inspiration to cook!  

I am not entirely sure why I have lost my spark, my passion, my endless zest for meditative time in the kitchen.  Distracted by school?  Certainly.  Time change? Sure.  But you know what I think has contributed the most to my diminished creativity -- the fact that I don't eat out like I used to.  When I lived in Utah I was exposed to many different styles and techniques, and I constantly pulled inspiration from the meals I so desperately miss.

A few weeks ago I helped my baby sister look for an apartment in Oregon.  Yay Jules! While we were there, we stopped for lunch at this charming little deli that had the most brilliant array of soups and sandwiches.  I had a basic caprese sandwich, but in addition, I had a roasted cauliflower soup.  Behold my inspiration!

This soup was unlike any other creamed soup I've ever had.  The texture wasn't entirely smooth, which made it so interesting to eat with little bits of roasty, toasty cauliflower.  And roasted cauliflower on its own was something I had never tried before today, and let me tell you! A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.  Try it as a side dish, and it will trump everything else on the table.  So quick and easy and so much flavor.  I could now be a spokesperson for roasted cauliflower.  I like it almost as much as I like cheese . . . almost.

That said, I added white cheddar cheese to my soup, as well as some fresh thyme.  Thank you Jebus and that cute little deli for reinstating my spark.  It feels great to be back.

Before I move onto the soup, I have a quick photo to share with you all.  I went elk hunting this past weekend where we lacked the facilities to cook a meal before we headed out to trek over the river and through the woods to Bambi's house.  Nonetheless, thank you instant breakfast: noodles and coffee.  Notice the scent killer to the left?  Keeping it classy.

Roughly chop cauliflower, two large shallots and few garlic cloves. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil and season with coarse salt.

Then roast in a 400 degree oven for 40 minutes.  

Zip up in your food processor.  Notice the texture?  Not smooth baby food -- texturally titillating!

Tillamook white cheddar cheese.

This soup + crusty bread = perfection.

Roasted cauliflower soup with white cheddar cheese

1 large head cauliflower, roughly chopped

2 shallots, roughly chopped

3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

4 cups chicken broth

1.5 cups white cheddar cheese, grated

1 tbs fresh thyme, chopped

olive oil

salt and pepper

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  On a cookie sheet, drizzle the cauliflower, shallots and garlic with about 1 tbs of olive oil and season with coarse salt.  Roast for about 40 minutes or until the cauliflower is fork-tender.  

Carefully place the vegetables in a food processor or blender and roughly puree.  Texture is good, large chunks are not so good.  Place the vegetables in a pot along with the chicken broth.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for about ten minutes.  Add the cheese, thyme and a good dose of black pepper.  Season to taste with salt.  Serve with warm, crusty bread and enjoy!