Roasted Cauliflower and White Bean Chowder
Tasty and slurpable, chunky with potatoes, beans, and cauliflower, with stellar flavor balance, this hefty roasted cauliflower and white bean chowder satisfies the tummy. Times are for pressure cooking--add 12 more minutes for regular stovetop cooking.
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients
Pickled cauliflower relish:
- ⅓ cup grated cauliflower florets
- 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
- ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt (see note)
Charred Cauliflower:
- 1 head cauliflower, (see note)
- Olive oil , as needed
- Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the soup:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ medium onion , diced, about ¾ cup
- 1 stalk celery , diced, about ½ cup
- 4 cloves garlic , minced
- 2 ¼ teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground mustard
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- Pinch cayenne
- 1 Yukon Gold potato , peeled and diced
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 1¾ cup white beans , home-cooked, or one (14-ounce) can, drained and rinsed
- Handful baby spinach leaves , coarsely chopped
- ½ cup chopped parsley leaves
Instructions
Make the pickled cauliflower relish garnish:
- Remove the leaves from the cauliflower. Grate about 1/3 cup from the head of cauliflower. Put the gratings in a small bowl with the lemon juice and the 1/8 teaspoon of salt. Set aside.
Char the cauliflower:
- Slice off two (1-inch thick) slabs from the center and place on a baking sheet or grill pan. Rub both sides of the slabs with a bit of olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. (see note)
- Cook the slabs until they are nicely charred on one side, and then turn over and char the other side. That will take about 10 minutes. Let slices cool, and then roughly chop them. Set aside.
Make the soup:
- Coarsely chop the remaining cauliflower.
- Heat the oil in the Instant Pot. Saute the onions, celery, garlic, coriander, mustard, thyme, and cayenne. Cook, stirring, until vegetables are soft, 4 to 5 minutes.
- Alternatively, heat the oil in a large pot or stovetop pressure cooker over medium flame. Saute the onions, celery, garlic, coriander, mustard, thyme, and cayenne. Cook, stirring, until vegetables are soft, 4 to 5 minutes.
- Add the vegetable broth, the coarsely chopped raw cauliflower, and the potato. Press the Manual button on the Instant Pot and set the timer for 6 minutes. If using a stovetop pressure cooker, after the pot is up to pressure, set the timer for 6 minutes. When time is up, turn the dial to vent on the Instant Pot, or quick release a stovetop pressure cooker under cold water. Stir in the white beans.
- For regular stove-top, bring the broth, coarsely chopped raw cauliflower and potato to a simmer and cook 15 to 18 minutes. When the potato is tender, stir in the white beans.
- In a blender, puree 1 1/2 cups of the vegetables and beans along with 1/2 cup of the broth, being careful that the hot soup doesn’t explode out of the blender. (Cover the lid with a towel and hold the lid on tight.)
- Pour the blended mixture back into the pot. Stir in the chopped charred cauliflower. Simmer about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and and plenty of freshly ground pepper.
- To serve, divide the spinach between 4 bowls and ladle hot soup on top. Top with the chopped parsley and the grated cauliflower that has been “pickling” in lemon and salt.
Notes
- The cauliflower is used 3 ways. 1/3 cup is for the pickled relish, 2 slabs are charred, and the remainder is coarsely chopped and cooked in the broth with the potato.
- Amount of salt depends on the saltiness of your broth. Start with 1/2 teaspoon salt.