Roasted Cauliflower Soup

I love cauliflower and since the very first time I roasted some in the oven, I've never cooked them any other way.  When I roast cauliflower, I mix equal parts (approximately 1/2 cup of each) olive oil with whatever pesto(s) I currently have available (basil, artichoke, sun dried tomato, and chimichurri all work equally well).  Mix the pesto with oil in a large bowl with a whisk.  Add in the juice of one lemon and continue whisking. 

Add cauliflower florets (from one head of cauliflower) into oil/pesto mixture and toss until well coated. Preheat oven to 350.  In a casserole dish, gently add cauliflower and layer in single file.  Cover with foil and cook in oven for 40 minutes.  Remove foil.  With a spatula, flip over florets.  Add about 8-10 trimmed cloves of garlic.  Return to oven and continue cooking (uncovered) for an additional 30 minutes, or until cauliflower is tender throughout.  Remove from oven and set aside. 

You could serve cauliflower this way, with almost any meat or fish.  I make this several times a month.

Or you could go one step further and make soup out of it.  To make cauliflower soup, spoon roasted cauliflower and garlic into a food processor.  Add approximately 1 cup of chicken stock and pulse and then puree until mixture is smoothe.

In a large saucepan, combine pureed cauliflower mixture with 1 cup of fat free half and half.  Turn heat on low.  Add a few pinches of Kosher salt, and lots of fresh coarse ground black pepper.  Stir frequently to prevent sticking, for about 15 minutes. 

While soup is cooking on the stove, heat oven to 400.  Place about 1 cup of pine nuts into a metal pie pan.  Place pine nuts in oven.  Shake after about 5 minutes to prevent sticking.  After 8 minutes total, remove pine nuts from oven and allow to cool.

Remove cauliflower soup from stove and add 1 cup of freshly grated Asiago cheese.  Stir until melted.

Ladle cauliflower soup into bowls.  Sprinkle tops generously with smoked ground Paprika.  Garnish with a teaspoon full of toasted pine nuts.  Drizzle really good olive oil around the edges of the soup.  Serve warm with warmed Naan bread or freshly baked french bread.

This is a really delicate tasting soup, save for the spicy bite of the smoked Paprika.  I recommend a really spicy Malbec from Argentina to compliment the Paprika.