Roasted Red Pepper and Cauliflower Soup

At long last, I got myself a food processor when I discovered that Amazon.com was offering a rebate. I was desperate to try making soup (finally), and I didn't care that it was summer because I don't believe that one should only eat soup in the winter (much like I don't believe that one should only eat ice cream in the summer). :) The first recipe I tried was a delicious-looking Roasted Red Pepper and Cauliflower Soup I saw on the Mango & Tomato blog, which is largely reproduced below with some minor edits from me. It is very tasty and healthy to boot!

ROASTED RED PEPPER AND CAULIFLOWER SOUP

Ingredients

• olive oil
• 4 red peppers, quartered, seeds removed and cut into big chunks
• 1 head of garlic, top cut off
• salt & pepper
• 1 head cauliflower, cut into florettes
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2-1 cup cooking liquid from cauliflower
• parsley, minced for garnish

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil.
2. Take a head of garlic, cut off the top and drizzle with olive oil. Wrap in aluminum foil and place on the cookie sheet.
3. Drizzle red peppers with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and scatter in one layer on the aluminum foil covered cookie sheet.
   
4. Roast the peppers and the garlic for 30 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, cook cauliflower in salted water for about 20 minutes, or until cauliflower is completely tender. Drain the cauliflower, retaining about 1 cup of liquid.
6. (Clara's note: If you'd like, retain a small amount of red peppers for garnish). In a food processor, puree red peppers, cauliflower, 1 cup of milk and the squeezed out insides of the roasted garlic. If necessary, add 1/2 to 1 cup of retained cooking water depending on how thick you want the soup to be (Clara's note: I used about 2/3 cups). Season with salt and pepper.
7. Serve the soup in a bowl garnished with some chopped roasted red pepper and minced parsley.

Yields: approximately 4-5 cups

Getting ready to puree. I love my new gadget!

Links:
http://mangotomato.blogspot.com/2009/06/roasted-red-pepper-cauliflower-soup.html (Check out her pretty pictures!)