Cauliflower Soup (Pioneer Woman)

Wow. Who knew cauliflower soup could be so exciting. I couldn't stop eating this. This is a definite make-again recipe. I skipped the sour cream and still loved it. If you want to make this a smoother, thicker soup--use an immersion blender to puree and cook an additional 10 minutes after pureeing. Recipe courtesy of The Pioneer Woman Cooks Food From My Frontier.

• Ready In: 1 hr
• Serves: 12

Ingredients

• 1⁄2 cup butter
• 1⁄2 onion, finely dice
• 1  carrot, finely diced
• 1  stalk celery, finely diced
• 1  cauliflower head, cored and roughly chopped
• 2  tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
• 2  quarts low sodium chicken broth or 2  quarts  chicken stock
• 6  tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2  cups  whole milk
• 1  cup half-and-half
• 1 -2  teaspoon salt
•  black pepper, to taste
• 1  cup sour cream (heaping, at room temperature)
•  crusty bread, for serving

Directions

1. Melt 1/2 stick of butter in a heavy pot over medium heat, then add the onion and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes.
2. Add the carrot and celery.
3. Stir and cook for a few more minutes.
4. Throw in the cauliflower.
5. Stir it around, cover, and cook over very low heat for 15 minutes.
6. Add the minced parsley.
7. Add the chicken broth and simmer for 10 minutes.
8. In the meantime, make white sauce: Melt the remaining 1/2 stick of butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Then whisk in the flour. Cook for a couple of minutes, then pour in the milk, whisking to combine.
9. Remove the white sauce from the heat and pour in the half-and-half.
10. Pour the white sauce mixture into the pot.
11. Add a teaspoon to 2 of salt and pepper to taste, and allow the soup to simmer for another 20 to 30 minutes.
12. The soup will thicken slightly but shouldn't be overly thick. Give it a taste and add additional salt or other seasonings as necessary.
13. To serve the soup, place the room temperature sour cream in the bottom of the soup tureen. Then addd the whole pot of hot soup to the tureen. Stir gently to combine and immediately serve with warm rolls.