Curry roasted cauliflower soup

From this week: cauliflower, ginger, and cashews (at this point my "this week" list has pretty much gone out the window)

Staples: olive oil, onions, garlic, curry powder, milk, stock, salt, pepper

This is 1/4 of a head of cauliflower. No joke. The thing must have weighed 30 lbs. The first three quarters went into the pasta-who-must-not-be-named. That was my first attempt at cooking cauliflower; this was my second and was much more successful. The cauliflower dish who lived, if you will.

My interest in cauliflower was piqued by a recipe my mom emailed me over a year ago. It was an Indian inspired ginger/cashew thing, and it sounded awesome. Of course, after sitting in my inbox for a year, the recipe was deleted in one of my gmail purges. Woops.

This soup has (what I imagine to be) the same feel. Velvety and rich from the cauliflower and almond milk, sweet and tangy from the ginger, and spicy from the curry powder. I used hot madras curry powder; I couldn't tell you why but it's quite a bit stronger than regular curry powder, and I much prefer it. Inexplicably (because it's not like McCormick is some fancy yankee brand), I can't seem to find the stuff in the great southland.

The soup wasn't quite smooth enough, but I think that's my immersion blender's fault. Regardless, it turned out great. Cauliflower redemption.

Curry roasted cauliflower soup

1 normal head (or 1/4 of a giant head) cauliflower, chopped into small florets

4 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated (or finely minced)

2 tbsp curry powder

2 cups vegetable stock

1 cup almond milk (regular or soy should work fine too)

salt and pepper to taste

chopped cashews for garnish

Preheat oven to 425. Toss cauliflower florets with 2 tbsp of oil on a baking sheet. Roast for 30 minutes or until browned. Meanwhile, sautee onions in remaining 2 tbsp of oil in a soup pot. When onions are soft, add garlic and ginger and sautee until soft, about 2 minutes. Add curry powder and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add stock, milk, and roasted cauliflower. Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 10 minutes. Blend (use an immersion blender or do small batches in a regular blender). Salt and pepper to taste. Serve topped with cashews.