Now that we’re in the heart of soup season, let’s talk about blending soups. If you have a nice thick, flavorful soup, it can make a hearty main dish – not to leave the family feeling hungry afterward.
When you want to cream a soup in a blender to make it smooth, it’s important to have enough liquid in each batch. So if you blend half the mixture at a time, scoop an equal amount of liquid into the first batch; don’t accidentally reserve most of the liquid for the second batch. Besides that you want it all to blend evenly, if there isn’t enough liquid in the blender and you set it to puree, you can tear up the rubber coupling that works the blender. If that happens, it’s easy to find a replacement part online and instructions on how to fix it on YouTube so you don’t need to buy a new blender. I was really bummed when it first happened to me pureeing a squash soup. You can add more broth if it’s not blending smoothly.
Depending on the age of your blender, you may still have a few chunks of vegetable in your soup after pureeing. You could strain it before putting it back in the pot if you don’t like it for some reason; I wouldn’t bother.
Cauliflower Leek Soup with Mushrooms
1 T high-heat oil (avocado, etc.)
1 head cauliflower, florets chopped
1 leek, white and light green part chopped
2 cloves crushed garlic
2 T chopped fresh parsley (2 t dry)
1 t sherry
1 t Worcestershire sauce
1 t thyme
Sea salt and ground black pepper
4 C low-sodium organic broth
1 C sliced shiitake mushrooms
Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the cauliflower, leek, and garlic. Cook 5 minutes; add the rest of ingredients except broth. Stir and cook 1 minute. Add broth; cook 20 minutes until vegetables are tender.
Transfer half the mixture to a blender and puree until smooth. Pour into another pot. Puree the rest of the mixture and add to the pot. Add the sliced mushrooms. Simmer 10 minutes.
