A few years ago I was at the ROM and had lunch in their cafeteria. There wasn’t much there, but they had a cauliflower and cheddar soup. I’m not a huge fan of cauliflower, but I like the broccoli cheddar soup at Quiznos, and I so decided to give this one a try. I really liked it, and thought I’d try making my own at home. It turned out well and is pretty popular around here.

• 1 medium Cauliflower
• 4 cup Chicken stock
• 1/4 cup Chopped onion
• 2 Cloves of garlic
• 1/4 cup Butter or margarine
• 1/4 cup All-purpose flour
• 2 cup Milk
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1/8 teaspoon Pepper (white if you don’t want to see black flecks)
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground chili powder
• 1 1/2 cup Grated medium Cheddar cheese

Cut the cauliflower into chunks. Use the trunk too, there is a lot of cauliflower flavor in there and when it’s cooked it’ll get pretty tender.

Roughly chop the onion and garlic.

Put the vegetables and garlic in a pot and add the chicken stock. Bring to a gentle boil and cook until the cauliflower is tender enough that you can push a knife into the thick parts easily.

Take it off the stove and let it cool for while but do not drain, 30 minutes should do.

Place the cauliflower, onions, garlic and stock in a blender and let it go until it gets to the texture you prefer, some like a smooth purée, others might like it a little chunky.

In a pot (either the one you just used or a new one, I don’t care you’re the one doing the dishes) melt the butter on medium heat, then add the flower and whisk until it is smooth. You want to cook gently to cook out the flower taste, but you don’t want it to change colour.

Add in the milk slowly, whisking well to avoid forming any lumps.

Then pour in the cauliflower mixture, and season with the salt, pepper and spices. Adjust to chili levels to your preference.

Bring it to a simmer, as the temperature rises the flour/butter mixture (called a roux) will thicken the soup.

Melt in your cheese (I used cheddar, but feel free to experiment with others) and cook until it is the thickness you like.

Enjoy!

Ps. It’s nice topped with croutons.