Curried Cauliflower Soup

A potage is a traditional French soup that is blended, or a "mush," of veggies or veggies plus meat. It is French tradition to start the evening meal with a potage, made out of seasonal vegetables. According to Wikipedia, potage comes from the Old French, pottage, which means potted dish -- or according to the January 2009 issue of Vegetarian Times, potage comes from potager, which is the classic French kitchen garden where herbs and flowers are grown alongside vegetables.

Herbs and flowers grown alongside the vegetables? Ah, visions of beautiful gardens composed of blooming flowers and fragrant herbs -- with ripe vegetables ready for picking -- sounds so lovely right now. When I lived in Atlanta, winters were fairly green and spring arrived so early in the year. Winter would seem to fly by.

But during my first winter in New York last year, I was SO excited when the first daffodils pushed up through the ground and the trees started to bud. I missed seeing green. All of the browns and grays got old after a couple of months. So how much longer do we have until the first daffodils push up? 3 months?

I made the curried cauliflower soup the other day from the January issue of Veg Times. It 'twas lovely. As with any soup, the flavor depends greatly on the stock used. Homemade veggie broth is simple to make - I swear! I'll post later about how I make a quick vegetable broth.

Curried Cauliflower Soup
Adapted from Vegetarian Times, January 2009


1 Tbs olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 green apple (or other tart apple), peeled, cored and chopped
1 Tbs curry powder
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large head of cauliflower, chopped
4 cups veggie broth (preferably homemade)
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp salt (more or less to taste)
freshly ground pepper to taste

Saute the onion in the olive oil over medium-high heat until lightly browned. Add the garlic and saute for about a minute, until fragrant. Stir in the apple and curry powder and saute for a minute more.

Add the cauliflower and veggie broth, bring to a simmer, and cover, simmering, for about 20 minutes or until the cauliflower is soft. Blend in the pot until creamy with a handheld blender. If blending in a blender, let the soup cool a little prior to blending. Stir in vinegar and salt, and adjust seasonings as needed.

I topped the potage with fresh cilantro and a dollop of soy yogurt.