Winter Vegetables: Curried Cauliflower Soup

I'm glad 2009 has come to a close.  It was a big year for us, and a trying year at that.  I do not think 2010 will be easy... and I'm not certain it will be easier than last year, but we will be one step closer to settling down.  In 2009 we watched several of our friends buy homes and plant roots in their towns, but we were uprooted and moved to a different continent.  The most direct route to see my parents in Georgia takes 15 hours, to Hubby's parents, an additional 3 (if we are lucky).  In October, Hubby found out about a conference in Canada in June that would be great for him.  The prospect of having a definite timeline to see North America excited me to no end.  Up until a few days before we moved, I seriously thought we'd be back in the States for Christmas, but funds were nonexistent and I came to realize that would not be.  Unfortunately, Hubby will not be able to attend the conference due to grant reviews, which take place at the same time as the conference.  And again I'm floundering around, wondering when I'll get to see the South (and Texas) again (cuz, you know, Texas is not part of the South... neither is Florida).  But the blogosphere seems to keep me grounded and gets my mind off the homesickness.

Starting work has definitely had an effect on my blogging.  Despite my cushy 9-5, I still find myself wanting more time during each day and bedtime comes way too quickly.  However, I have goals, and I want to reach them!

In my last blog, I discussed my goals for 2010.  And I'm happy to say that I am already on my way to meeting some of those goals.  Namely, a vegetable every month and entering Meeta's Monthly Mingle.  I used kohlrabi for the first time this weekend!  Additionally, tonight is the last night to submit a recipe for the monthly mingle, and I'm happy to say I have just enough time to get it done!

When I discovered this month's theme, Winter Vegetables and Fruits, I got excited.  I've been wanting to make a cauliflower soup since we arrived in Germany (don't ask why, I don't know the answer).  However, I was lacking an immersion blender (or blender of any kind for that matter) and Hubby doesn't like cauliflower.  But when I saw the theme, I knew Hubby's preferences would have to take a backseat for a weekend lunch.  Especially since I got my immersion blender for Christmas!  :)

I looked around at many curried cauliflower soup recipes, but didn't follow a particular one.  Here's my version.

Curried Cauliflower Soup

Ingredients

1/2 head of cauliflower, chopped

Olive oil

3 cloves garlic

1 shallot, finely chopped

1c. chicken or vegetable stock

1T. curry powder

1t. coriander powder

1/2t. ginger powder

Salt and pepper, to taste

Quark, to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 375F.  Arrange unpeeled garlic and cauliflower on baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil.  Roast cauliflower until lightly browned, about 30 minutes.

Five minutes before cauliflower comes out of the oven, warm a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat in a small pot, and sauté shallot and spices until the shallot becomes translucent.  Peel the garlic, and add cauliflower and garlic to shallots.  Add stock and warm through.  With an immersion blender, CAREFULLY purée the cauliflower soup.  Add a dollop of quark to each bowl, ladle in the soup, and serve hot.

This simple soup will warm you through on a nice cold evening (or lunch!).  The tangy quark is a nice offset to the heat of the curry, without adding all the fat from heavy cream or sour cream.  Feel free to adjust the heat of the dish with chili powder or cayenne.  You can also go vegetarian by switching to vegetable broth, or go an additional step and make it vegan by subbing coconut milk for the quark.  Keep warm!

This month's Monthly Mingle is being held by Sudeshna over at Cook Like a Bong.   Thank you for helping me achieve one of my unnamed goals: use my immersion blender as much as possible!