Cauliflower and Cheddar Cheese Soup

This is my first soup of the season and it comes from The Great Big Cheese Cookbook. Today is one of those chilly and rainy fall days here in Philadelphia. It only seemed fitting to make a nice warm soup while I hibernated inside for the day. The best part is that I had everything on hand. I made a few modifications to the recipe. Instead of using a head of white cauliflower, I purchased last week a gorgeous head of Fiesta Cauliflower which is a beautiful shade of orange. Also, because I was using orange cauliflower, I substituted the carrots for a few strips of roasted red peppers. This was a relatively quick and easy soup to put together. The most labor intensive part is the chopping on the front end. After that, it's as simple as cooking the chopped items in the broth and then putting it through the blender after it cools.

Did you know how good cauliflower is for you? Cauliflower is a member of the cruciferous vegetable family. Cruciferous vegetables are considered to be "super veggies" that are packed with vitamins, fiber and disease fighting phytochemicals. When I'm not using it in soup, I love to eat my cauliflower roasted and baked in a gratin with black olives and a mustard cream sauce. Thank God my taste buds have changed over the years because I remember when I was growing up the only vegetable that I was willing to eat was corn.

Here's a few facts about the fiesta cauliflower:

1. It has so much beta carotene that it actually turns the cauliflower orange.
2. It has 25% more Vitamin A than white cauliflower.

Happy eating!

Ingredients

4 cups chicken broth or water
2 cups chopped potatoes
3 1/2 cups cauliflowerets, divided
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped carrot
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups (6 oz) cheddar cheese
1/4 teaspoon dill
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
2 tablespoons butter

Combine the broth, potatoes, cauliflowerets, onion, carrot, garlic and salt in a large saucepan. Bring slowly to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for 20 minutes. Puree in a blender.

Return the puree to the saucepan and over low heat, gradually add the cheese, dill, dry mustard and pepper. Stir until the cheese melts.

In a small bowl whisk together the milk and flour until smooth. Slowly pour in to the hot soup, stirring until well blended about 5 minutes.

Saute the remaining 1 1/2 cups of cauliflowerets in butter until crisp and tender. Add to the soup.

Crook's Corner Shrimp and Grits

A few years ago I had the pleasure of having brunch at Humble Pie in Raleigh, North Carolina. An old warehouse converted in to a hip urban eatery, the food was fantastic and the Bloody Marys too. My order of shrimp and grits was so memorable that here I am years later writing about it here. In fact, the shrimp and grits are so good at Humble Pie, they are listed on the menu as "broth of the Gods." I did some research and found the recipe from Crook's Corner, another popular North Carolina restaurant in Chapel Hill. I grew up eating grits with my father who was raised for part of his childhood in the south. We used to smother ours with butter and fresh pepper. Then I discovered that cheese is the secret ingredient that elevates plain grits to something godly.

We had this for dinner last night and there wasn't a trace of it left by the time we licked our bowls clean. I wish the photo did this dish more justice. Trust me, it was incredible; all of the flavors completely enhanced each other from the sharp cheddar and Parmesan in the grits to the mushrooms, bacon, scallions and shrimp that sat in a broth that was indeed worthy of God coming over here for dinner. I think part of the success in this dish is the addition of some hot sauce. I don't like things too hot but a few splashes in both the shrimp mixture and the grits made this really spectacular. You can go over here to see the rave reviews on this dish.

RECIPE


Ingredients

* 2 cups water
* 1 (14-ounce) can chicken broth
* 3/4 cup half-and-half
* 3/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 cup regular grits
* 3/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
* 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
* 2 tablespoons butter
* 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce (or to taste)
* 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
* 3 bacon slices
* 1 pound medium-size shrimp, peeled and deveined
* 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
* 1/8 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
* 1 cup sliced mushrooms
* 1/2 cup chopped green onions
* 2 garlic cloves, minced
* 1/2 cup low-sodium, fat-free chicken broth
* 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
* 1/4 teaspoon hot sauce (or to taste)
* Lemon wedges

Preparation

Bring first 4 ingredients to a boil in a medium saucepan; gradually whisk in grits. Reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes or until thickened. Add Cheddar cheese and next 4 ingredients. Keep warm.

Cook bacon in a large skillet until crisp; remove bacon, and drain on paper towels, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings in skillet. Crumble bacon, and set aside.

Sprinkle shrimp with pepper and salt; dredge in flour.

Sauté mushrooms in hot drippings in skillet 5 minutes or until tender. Add green onions, and sauté 2 minutes. Add shrimp and garlic, and sauté 2 minutes or until shrimp are lightly brown. Stir in chicken broth, lemon juice, and hot sauce, and cook 2 more minutes, stirring to loosen particles from bottom of skillet.

Serve shrimp mixture over hot cheese grits. Top with crumbled bacon; serve with lemon wedges.