Make a Hearty, Healthy Soup (Roasting brings out Flavor!)

About this month's recipe: I must admit, I've never been a huge fan of cauliflower. But when I read latest scientific reports that white vegetables had special nutritional qualities, I had to rethink this. I played around with some recipes and came up with the soup below.

Garbanzo beans give the soup a smooth texture, and add protein and fiber too. Of course I encourage folks to cook their own garbanzos. After all, it's easier to ship dry beans straight to the consumer, than for trucks to haul those beans to a processing plant to be cooked and canned, finally shipping them at triple the weight of the original beans. Not to make anyone feel guilty! But it's something to consider. At The New Deli, we soak the beans in cold water the day before. They still take 30-60 minutes of cooking time in a pressure cooker (or longer in a regular pot), but it seems worth it.

Another feature of this soup is ground, toasted coriander, another spice I'd never been very fond of. Perhaps in my youth, I crunched on too many of the round little seeds found in pickle jars, finding that burst of strong, somewhat bitter flavor a bit unpleasant. It's funny though--in combination with the other ingredients, this spice adds a welcome flavor. I suggest buying whole coriander seeds (available for very reasonable prices at health food stores), rather than buying ground coriander. If the spice is used regularly in your kitchen, ground is probably fine. But for many of us, some spices may sit for years. Which could explain why some of us develop an aversion to various seasonings: Perhaps they're just rancid!

Hope you're enjoying the fall season. Stay tuned- there's more to come!

Roasted Cauliflower Soup

This recipe shows that the sum can be greater than the parts. The buttery creaminess of the garbanzo beans complements the cauliflower perfectly. The method of roasting the cauliflower first enhances its flavor, and the toasted, ground coriander seeds season it perfectly. Make this big batch and freeze some for later. Serves 10 or so.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/3 c. dry garbanzo beans (or 3-4 c., cooked)
• 2 heads cauliflower
• 1/3 c. virgin olive oil
• 1/2 TBS. salt
• 1 TBS. toasted coriander seed
• Green onions or chives for garnish

Cook until tender: > 1 1/3 c. dry garbanzo beans (or use 2 cans cooked beans, drained)

Set aside the cooked beans when done. Meanwhile, halve the cauliflower heads, wrapping loosely in heavy-duty foil. Bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour, using: > 2 heads cauliflower

Set roasted cauliflowers in a large pressure cooker (or pot). Add boiling water just to cover; bring up to pressure, cooking again for 10 minutes or so. The cauliflower will soften in texture this way and make for a smoother soup. Meanwhile, toast the coriander seeds for 2-3 minutes in a toaster oven or under broiler (or in a dry, hot pan, stirring constantly): > 1 TBS. coriander seed

Process the coriander seed in a small electric coffee grinder (or a blender, or with a mortar and pestle). Set aside.

Next, strain off and reserve the cooking broth. The core and outer leaves of the cauliflower will pull away easily; discard these. Process the cauliflower tops with the cooked garbanzos. To the processor of beans and cauliflower, add: > 1/3 c. virgin olive oil > 1/2 TBS. salt > 1 TBS. toasted coriander seed

Add cooking broth back in and reheat, serving with chives or parsley as a garnish. You can also top with extra cauliflower, grilled until tender, and perhaps a sprinkling of toasted pine nuts.

(Check out the video for this here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjx_bI7U-HU&feature=plcp)