Cauliflower Soup…Yum!

 

One of my family’s  favorite home made soups is Cauliflower Soup.

This soup is creamy and rich (definitely not diet food).

It was one of our favorite dishes that didn’t have a recipe- until a few years ago when Liz made me figure one out for the family  cook book.

The recipe really started about forty years ago when I was a BYU student spending a semester in Salzburg, Austria.  We lived at the Hotel Steinlechner, just blocks from the beautiful  river.

It was a dream come true for me-a small town country girl who had never really traveled much!

I don’t think I have ever been to a more beautiful, romantic  place.

Ever!

And the food…..

Heavenly!

(The above  photo was from Google.)

These photos were typical daily bike ride views.

Check out this interesting tourist link.

Anyway,  back to the soup….

(It is hard not to get side tracked as I relive experiences through my old photos.)

Our chef at the hotel was a really good cook, and he was a nice enough person to allow us to wander in to his kitchen on a few occasions.

He shared some of his recipes with us.

Most of them didn’t translate very well due to the different ingredients, measurement systems, (my understanding of German) etc., but I did remember that he added  a different spice to his Cauliflower Soup.

NUTMEG.

A few years later I combined a few recipes and came up with a similar version of his soup.  My friend Camille Jensen had a tasty clam chowder soup recipe and I used the white sauce part of it.

I still like to throw things in the mix, but the recipe is pretty close to how I make it.

Cauliflower Soup:

1 large head of cauliflower

1 cube of butter or margarine

1 cup flour

4 to 5 cups milk

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 to 2 teaspoons chopped or dried onion

1 to 2 cups grated cheese

1 teaspoon salt

pepper (to taste)

Cut the cauliflower in to bite size pieces and steam in a small amount of water (1 to 2 cups).  I add the salt and the onions now, too.  Cook until tender and then mash up the cauliflower with a potato masher.  (I like to leave a few little pieces for texture and visual appeal.)  Do not drain off the water.  In a large skillet, melt the butter and blend in the flour.  Add the milk and stir until it is smooth and it thickens.  I usually add the cheese and the nutmeg as I am stirring the milk.  After the milk mixture is ready, combine it with the cauliflower and water.  Simmer until the flavor melds together.  Serve up hot.

I hope you like it!

JoAnn

P.S.  The only reason we didn’t gain 200 pounds while we were there was because we spent hours each day walking or biking to all the beautiful places!