We recently had a soup party. We invited some of our closest friends, everyone contributed to the feast and there was a conga line of 13 soups on the counters of our kitchen. Homemade bread, desserts and a bonus smoked pork shoulder added to the embarrassment of riches.

I was inspired by this party, so a number of my upcoming posts will be soup party related and I hope you’ll enjoy them.

The first will be my vegetarian offering — curried cauliflower soup. I love the recipe I have for aloo gobi, so I thought it would be a delicious way to get some different flavors into soup form and a meatless option at that. It was simple and easy and held up nicely in the slow cooker for hours.

When I added some spicy chili powder, I thought a garnish of cilantro and plain yogurt would be fitting. Yum!

Curried Cauliflower Soup

Ingredients

• 1 head of cauliflower
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp hot curry powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup vegetable stock
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1/4 cup half and half

Directions

1. Heat oil in soup pot. Add spices to hot oil and fry until fragrance is released, about a minute. Add chopped cauliflower and mix with spiced oil. Add water, cover and steam until very tender, stirring occasionally.
2. Add vegetable stock and puree with immersion blender (You can also use a blender. Be careful with the hot ingredients and return soup to pot when finished.) Add salt.
3. Add butter, half and half to soup and stir until combined. Add additional liquids, if necessary, to reach desired consistency (water or half and half).