Cauliflower Soup (Minestra Di Cavalfiore)

Directions

There’s probably no sense in making this soup if you don’t like cauliflower.

As with so much Italian food, this recipe uses a few basic ingredients to showcase the star vegetable.

A purist would even shudder at the cheese! Make this soup as garlicky and spicy as you like but be sure to serve lots of crusty Italian bread or bruschetta (toasted Italian bread brushed with olive oil).

If you want a soup with a bit more texture, remove 1 cup of the cooked cauliflower, purée it, and return it to the remaining soup Break the cauliflower florets into small (½ inch) pieces. Trim the stem end and cut into ½-inch pieces. Wash the cauliflower in 2 quarts of cold water blended with 2 tablespoons of vinegar. Drain and drop into a large pot of boiling salted water. Boil for 4 minutes; drain and dry well. Heat the olive oil in a soup pot; add the garlic and hot pepper, and cook gently until the garlic is golden. Add the cauliflower and cook for 5 minutes, stirring to prevent it from browning. Add the hot broth, salt and parsley and cook until the cauliflower is tender. Ladle into soup bowls and sprinkle with a generous amount of cheese. Serves 6.