Roasted Cauliflower and Fennel Soup

Cauliflower and fennel are two of my favorite vegetables, so I created this recipe to utilize both for a super-creamy, healthy, dairy-free (and if you choose to use olive oil, vegetarian) soup.  It's so rich and hearty that your friends and family will be surprised it's dairy free.

Ingredients:

• 2 heads cauliflower
• 2 bulbs fennel
• 10-12 crimini mushrooms
• A pound or so of freshly shelled peas
• You can also use frozen peas: see step 11 for instructions
• 1 yellow onion
• 1/2 cup dry white wine, such as pinot grigio
• 2 quarts vegetable stock or broth
• Olive oil or butter, as needed
• Kosher salt, as needed
• Lemon pepper, freshly grated, as needed

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Put your roasting pan in the oven at this time so that it also preheats and gives the vegetables a nice sear when they are added to the hot pan

2. Remove the oxidized ends of the cauliflower heads and fennel bulbs.  Also remove the fennel tops (which you could use in an accompanying salad).  Then cut each into approximate 1 inch pieces.  You'll be roasting the fennel and cauliflower, so it's important that they be cut into similar sized pieces so they cook uniformly

3. Season the cauliflower and fennel liberally with kosher salt and freshly ground lemon pepper and toss to coat.  Next drizzle a generous amount of olive oil over the vegetables and toss again.  Taste one of each to be sure they are well-seasoned and glistening with olive oil

4. Add cauliflower and fennel to the *hot* roasting pan and roast for 40-60 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes, until they have shrunk in size and are golden brown with caramelization

5. Meanwhile, heat a large pot of boiling salted water.  When the water has come to a boil, add the shelled peas and blanch for approximately 30 seconds, or until they begin to soften.  Keep in mind you'll be sautéing them along with the Criminis later, so this is just the first part of the cooking process.  Remove the peas and plunge them into a bowl of salted ice water to shock their color and stop them from continuing to cook

* It's very important that both the boiling water and the ice water be salted.  If the boiling water is salted and the ice water is not salted, all of the seasoning and flavor will drain out of the peas and into the ice water by the process of osmosis, leaving you with a bland finished product.

6. Next, cut your onion into a small dice, slice your mushrooms, and set aside

Cutting your vegetables and putting them in small bowls makes it easy to stay tidy and organized 

7. Prepare the same pot you used to blanch your peas by discarding the salted water and returning it to the stove top.  Heat approximately 4 Tablespoons of olive oil or butter over medium heat sweat your onions just until they begin to turn golden

8. Add the wine to the pot to deglaze, using your wooden spoon to scrape up any caramelized bits.  You may have to take your pot off the heat at this point, until your cauliflower and fennel are finished roasting

9. When your vegetables are well-roasted, add then directly to the ( already hot or reheated ) pot and stir to combine them with the onions

9. Add enough vegetable stock/broth to the pot so that the vegetables are covered by about 1/4 inch.  Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes, allowing all the flavors to mellow.

The beautiful caramelization on the cauliflower is due to the fact it was added to a preheated roasting pan

10. Once your vegetables are very tender, use an immersion or standing blender to thoroughly puree your soup for 5-10 minutes.  Return the mixture to the pot, and stir in more vegetable stock/broth if the soup is too thick for your liking.  Taste for seasoning, adding more salt or lemon pepper to taste.  Add more 

11.  In a small saute pan, heat 2 Tablespoons of olive oil or butter and saute your mushrooms, adding the peas 2 minutes before the mushrooms are fully cooked.  *If you were unable to find fresh peas, you can add thawed frozen peas to the mushroom mixture at this point.

Ladle soup into warmed bowls and top with the sauteed Crimini mushrooms and peas.  Serve immediately.

Note: this soup freezes beautifully.  If you make a large batch, ladle cooled soup into ziplock bags and place in the freezer, leaving out the mushroom and pea mixture.  The soup can be thawed in your refrigerator and warmed on the stovetop for service at a later time.