A few days back, during the holidays in December, I found myself in Asheville, NC. After hours of walking around from gallery to gallery taking in the local art scene and a tour of the famous Biltmore Estate in slight drizzle I found myself craving for some warm soup. So we walked into this lively restaurant. Everything in the menu sounded delicious, but I didn’t bother looking through the menu as soon as I read ‘Roasted Cauliflower and Harissa Soup’. I love cauliflowers and Harissa is by far my favorite condiment. As luck would have it, they had ran out of just that item from their menu and since then I have been craving for it. I did eat a delicious spread of southern delicacies.. Brisket with a side of collard greens and a glass of Bourbon.

So here’s my version of the soup, hope you enjoy it as much as H and I did.

Its healthy, flavorful, vegetarian and something that will warm you up.

For a recipe for homemade Harissa click here.

Time for Prep: 10 mins     Time to Cook: 45 mins     Yield: 4 Servings     Level: Easy

Ingredients:

• 1 head cauliflower, cut into smaller florets
• 4-6 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 small red onion, chopped
• 1.5 tbsp olive oil + 1 tsp for garnish
• salt to taste
• fresh ground pepper to taste
• 3 tbsp sherry or sauterne (optional)
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 1 tbsp potato flour (optional)
• 1 tbsp cilantro, chopped
• 1 tbsp Harissa + 2 tsp for garnishing.

Process:

1. Pre-heat oven to 400F (230C) or if you have a toaster oven, use that.
2. Place cauliflower in a roasting pan/baking tray, drizzle olive oil and add salt, pepper and Harissa. Toss and coat.
3. Roast cauliflower until golden brown and tender, around 30-40 mins.
4. In the meantime, heat 1 tbsp of oil in a saucepan. Add the onions and sauté for 3-4 mins. Add the garlic, salt and pepper. Sauté for 2-3 mins and lower heat. Add the wine (if using) and caramelize the onions in low heat, 12-15 mins, stirring occasionally.
5. Sprinkle the potato flour over the onions and stir to coat.
6. Slowly pour in the broth, whisk until all of the flour is dissolved.
7. Add the roasted cauliflower and bring to a boil. Remove from heat.
8. Puree soup.
9. Return to the sauce pan and heat over medium flame, until its heated through.
10. Serve garnished with a drizzle of olive oil and Harissa.

Notes:

• I like to caramelize onions in low heat, it does take longer but it brings out the sweet flavor of onions. If your in a rush, you can sauté onions in medium high heat and hasten the process.
• Addition of Sherry/Sauterne is optional, I like adding them because I like the contrast of the sweetness of the onions combined with the wine in contrast to the lingering spice of the Harissa.
• I used Potato Flour to just make the soup thicker, its optional. You can do without it or use corn starch or cream instead.