Cauliflower Cashew Soup
We have finally reached a point I have been longing for since last July: the day that all four members of our family could eat the same thing for dinner. Prior to this month, Rose, 3, and Luka, 10 months, have needed something different to eat. Rose would just refuse to eat some of the food I made for Nick and myself, and poor Luka just didn’t have the ability to eat real food until recently. Now we are there!
To celebrate I’ve been making lots of soup. Delicious, easy to make, easy to eat, soup. Here’s the latest. I didn’t have buckwheat so I just skipped that and I totally overcooked the onions. Consequently, my soup is not a pure white, but it was still very tasty. This one is a good choice for this week because, despite the date on the calendar, it feels like late winter here. Hurry up, spring. I’m tired of waiting! I’m mostly tired of wearing paints. Spring dresses, please.
- ½ cup olive oil, divided
- 4 large shallots, thinly sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
- Kosher salt
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 1 large head of cauliflower, cored, cut into small florets, stem chopped, divided
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¾ cup plus 2 Tbsp. cashews
- 6 cups (or more) vegetable stock, preferably homemade
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons buckwheat groats
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- Preparation
- Heat ¼ cup oil in a large heavy pot over medium. Add shallots, garlic, bay leaves, and thyme; season with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until shallots are translucent, 6–8 minutes.
- Add wine, bring to a boil, and cook until reduced by half, about 4 minutes. Set ¾ cup cauliflower aside; add the rest to pot along with cayenne and ¾ cup cashews; season with salt.
- Cover pot, reduce heat to low, and cook, shaking pot occasionally, until cauliflower is fork-tender and vegetables have released all their water, 20–25 minutes (check occasionally to make sure vegetables are not browning; reduce heat if they are).
- Add stock and season with salt and black pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, partially covered, until cauliflower is falling apart, 20–25 minutes. Discard bay leaves. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
- Meanwhile, finely chop reserved ¾ cup cauliflower and remaining 2 Tbsp. cashews. Heat remaining ¼ cup oil in a small skillet over medium. Add cauliflower, cashews, and buckwheat; season with salt. Cook, stirring often, until cauliflower and cashews are golden brown and buckwheat is browned and crisp, 5–8 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice and paprika. Let cool slightly.
- Working in batches if needed, purée soup in a blender until very smooth. Return to pot and reheat over medium-low, stirring and adding more stock to thin if needed (soup should be the consistency of heavy cream). Taste and season soup again if needed.
- Serve soup topped with toasted cauliflower-buckwheat mixture.
- Do Ahead: Soup can be made 2 days ahead (or 1 month if frozen). Let cool; transfer to airtight containers and chill.
