Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Crispy Prosciutto & long winter ahead

I am in a warm soup kind of mood since getting back from California, and this Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Crispy Prosciutto really hits the spot.  I rather enjoyed the 80 degree temperatures in November while I was there.

I cannot say the same for the 40 degree temperatures that we have been having here in Iowa this past week!  Would you believe that there is even Rain Showers/Snow in the forecast for Monday!  This is going to be a loooooong winter!!

Luckily, I was able to get my hands on a copy of Williams-Sonoma Soup of the Day cookbook last year.  I think that it is going to get a lot of use this winter, what do you think?

I made my usual dairy-free changes by substituting coconut milk for the heavy cream, and olive oil for the butter.  They provided a vegetarian option in the book, so I took it one step further and included a vegan option as well.

I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect with this soup.  Cauliflower…..as the main ingredient?  No other vegetable flavors…..but it works!  The soup is very light, with a delicate flavor.  The punch comes from the crumbled crispy prosciutto that is crumbled on top.  It gives it just enough flavor to not be boring.  We can’t have boring soup now can we? 😉

You will also notice that I have blended this soup in a blender and not with my immersion blender.  Okay, to be honest I did use my immersion blender, but it was not smooth enough.  I wanted this soup to be silky smooth, so I brought out the big guns blender…..

Please notice that the clear cap is not in the center of the lid…..there is a reason for that!  If you seal the top, the heat builds up, creates pressure, and you get soup on your ceiling.  Soup does not belong on your ceiling.  I have orange juice on my ceiling so it might enjoy the company, but no, we do not want our soup on the ceiling.  Yah, so that’s a story for another day.  😉  Simply hold a towel over the hole while blending and everything will be just fine…..

Doesn’t that look delicious?  Enjoy!

Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Crispy Prosciutto

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Serves	4
Prep time	15 minutes
Cook time	35 minutes
Total time	50 minutes
Meal type	Main Course, Soup

Dairy-free Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Crispy Prosciutto is a delicate soup, with a crisp, salty topping.

Ingredients

• 3 Ounce package sliced prosciutto*
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 Medium yellow onion (chopped)
• 2 celery ribs (chopped)
• 3 Large cloves fresh garlic (minced)
• 1 head cauliflower (coursely chopped, about 4 cups)
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
• 4 Cups chicken broth*
• 1/4 cup heavy cream (or substitute full-fat coconut milk (can) shake well first)
• salt & ground white pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place the prosciutto slices in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake until crispy, 15 - 20 minutes. Allow to cool, then crumble.*

Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven, or heavy pot. Add the onion, celery, and garlic, and saute until soft, 5 - 7 minutes.

Add the cauliflower and nutmeg. Stir well to coat, and cook for an additional 5 minutes.

Add the chicken broth* and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and simmer until the cauliflower is very tender, about 20 - 25 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

Pour soup into a blender. Cover with lid, but not the clear center insert. Cover hole with a towel and puree soup until smooth.

Return soup to the Dutch oven and stir in the heavy cream/coconut milk. Bring soup up to boiling point, season with salt and ground white pepper.

Serve with crumbled crispy prosciutto.*

Note

* To make a vegan version of this soup - substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth and substitute crispy fried shallots for the prosciutto.

To make crispy fried shallots - thinly slice 2 shallots.  Toss in flour.  Fry in 1/2 a cup of hot oil, in a frying pan or cast iron skillet until crispy, about 4 minutes.

Be very careful when adding salt to the soup.  The prosciutto is very salty by it's self.  You don't want to over salt the soup.

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