Cauliflower and Potato Soup

Gluten free - grain free - dairy free - refined sugar free - egg free - nut free - vegetarian
    This soup is wonderfully thick and 'creamy', without any cream!  Soup is one of my go-to meals when it needs to be easy.  I love that you can just throw everything in a pot, let it cook a while, blend it up and voila- an yummy, nutritious meal.  My other regular, go-to soup recipe is Sweet Potato Chorizo Soup.  I also love a good Pea and Ham Soup, and when I need a comforting, immune-boosting soup, I never go past this Chicken and Corn Chowder.
    That being said, this soup recipe has one extra step if you have the time, and believe me, it's worth it.  Roast the cauliflower!  If you need to be quick, you can just boil it up in the stock with the rest of the ingredients, but if you are able to roast it first, DO IT!!  It gives the cauliflower such a lovely, nutty, caramalised depth of flavour that boiling along won't give it. 
    I usually serve this soup with some home made garlic bread, and I find it's enough for our family of 4 for 2 meals.  I freeze half of it for another day when I need a super quick meal. 

Ingredients

• 1 medium sized head of cauliflower
• 2 large brown onions, roughly chopped
• 8 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 6 large potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 .5 Litres (6 cups) chicken OR vegetable stock
• About 1 Tablespoon oil for frying in (I use coconut oil)
  
• Salt and pepper

Method

• Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius. 
• Cut cauliflower into small florets and place on a lined baking tray.  Spray or drizzle with a little oil and lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Roast cauliflower in preheated oven for about 30 minutes.  Do not let the tips brown too much or they will taste burnt and add a bitterness and discoloration to the soup.  The lower oven temperature helps to not overcook them.
• While the cauliflower is roasting, heat the coconut oil in a large soup pot over medium heat.  Add the chopped onions and garlic and saute for a few minutes until they are soft.  Do not brown or caramalise them.
• Stir in the diced potatoes (and chopped cauliflower florets if you're not roasting them first) and cover with the stock. 
• Bring to the boil over high heat, with the lid on, and then lower heat to a simmer. 
• Simmer until the potatoes are quite soft.  Add the roasted cauliflower for the last couple of minutes of simmering, making sure the stems are nice and soft.
• Remove from heat and blend the soup until it is very smooth.  I do this with a hand-held 'stick mixer', but you could also transfer it into a blender or food processor. 
• Check for seasoning and add salt and pepper as required. 
• Serve garnished with a little grated parmesan or manchego (sheep) cheese, or chopped chives, or cracked pepper, with some home made garlic bread.