Tortilla Soup with Cauliflower

Ingredients

• 1 small head cauliflower
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Salt to taste
• 1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder or medium-hot chili powder
• ½ medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon mild or medium-hot chili powder
• 2 plump garlic cloves, minced
• 1 (14-ounce) can chopped tomatoes
• 1 ½ quarts chicken stock, vegetable stock or garlic broth
• 6 corn tortillas, cut in strips
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
• ¼ cup crumbled queso fresco or feta
• Lime wedges for garnish

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment. Lay cauliflower on its side and, using a sharp chef’s knife, shave off thin slices of the top of the florets so that the cauliflower falls apart into ricelike bits. Shave enough to acquire 3 cups cauliflower “rice.” The volume will reduce quite a lot after roasting. Place on parchment-covered baking sheet and toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt to taste, and 1 teaspoon chipotle powder or chili powder. Place in oven and roast for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until cauliflower is thoroughly tender and some bits are lightly colored but not burnt. Remove from oven and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, heat remaining olive oil in a heavy soup pot over medium heat and add onion. Cook, stirring often, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add a generous pinch of salt and chili powder and stir together for a minute, then add garlic and continue to cook, stirring, for another minute, until fragrant. Add tomatoes, stir well to deglaze bottom of pot, and cook, stirring often, until tomatoes have cooked down and smell fragrant, about 10 minutes. Add salt to taste. Add stock or broth, bring to a simmer, cover and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes.
3. While soup is simmering, toast tortilla strips in batches in microwave. Place in a single layer on a plate and microwave at full power for 1 minute. Turn strips over and microwave for another minute. Repeat if necessary for 30 seconds, or until crisp and light brown. Set aside.
4. Using an immersion blender, blend soup until smooth. Bring back to a simmer and stir in cilantro. Simmer for 1 minute. Taste and adjust salt. Stir in lime juice.
5. Distribute toasted tortilla strips and cauliflower “rice” among soup bowls and ladle in the soup. Top with crumbled cheese and serve.

• Advance preparation: The soup keeps well for 2 or 3 days in the refrigerator and can be frozen. Wait until you are ready to serve to add cilantro for the final simmer. The tortilla strips will keep for several hours.
• Variation: For an enriched soup, beat 2 eggs in a bowl. Whisk in a ladleful or two of the hot soup. Stir back into the simmering soup and serve as above.

CHARRED CAULIFLOWER QUESADILLAS

From Smitten Kitchen:

Charred Cauliflower Quesadillas

Poblanos are very mild hot peppers. You could use fewer or swap them with a small bell pepper for less heat, or swap one or both with a hotter jalapeño or other chile for more heat.
Yield: 6 quesadillas, serves 6
2 small or 1 large fresh poblano chiles
1 small head cauliflower, cored and cut into rough 1-inch chunks
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for cooking quesadillas
3 scallions, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 cups (about 8 ounces) coarsely grated monterey jack cheese
12 small (7-inch) flour tortillas
Char peppers: Over a gas burner turned to high, hold the poblanos over the flame with tongs and char them until they are black and blistered all over. Alternatively, you could do this under a broiler, turning them frequently for even blistering. Transfer hot chiles to a bowl and cover tightly with foil. Set aside to steam and let their skins loosen while you cook the cauliflower.
Char cauliflower: In a large bowl, toss cauliflower with 3 tablespoons olive oil, salt and pepper, until it’s evenly coated. Heat your largest heaviest frying pan over high heat until almost smoking, add cauliflower, and let it cook until each piece has a few black spots but is not mushy, turning and moving it frequently to ensure even cooking. This will take 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer florets to cutting board to rest.
Mix filling: When poblanos are cool enough to handle, peel the charred skin off with your fingertips or a paring knife. Pull out and discard stems and seed clusters, and slice peppers into 1/4-inch wide strips. Add to cauliflower on board and give both a rough chop together, reducing the cauliflower to no bigger than 1/2-inch chunks. Return cauliflower and peppers to the large bowl, add scallions, lime juice and salt to taste. You should have about 2 cups of cauliflower filling.
Assemble and cook quesadillas: Lay out 6 tortillas and spread 1/3 cup cauliflower filling and 1/3 cup shredded cheese to each. Place second 6 tortillas on top as lids. Heat a skillet over medium heat. Once hot, coat lightly with olive oil and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook quesadillas until browned underneath, about 3 to 4 minutes. Carefully a flip — a large, thin spatula like my favorite kind helps here — and repeat on the second side. Repeat with remaining quesadillas.
To serve: Cut quesadillas into wedges and serve with your choice of fixings. Two of my favorites are below.

Cumin-Lime Crema
1/2 cup sour cream or Mexican crema
A few gratings fresh lime zest
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Pinch of salt
Combine, adjust seasonings to taste, and serve alongside quesadillas.

Lazy Taco Slaw
1 bag coleslaw mix or (as used here) 3 cups finely shredded red cabbage and 1 coarsely grated carrot
Coarse salt
Juice of half a lime
2 scallions, sliced thin
A dollop of mayonnaise, sour cream or plain yogurt
A dash of hot sauce (optional)
1/4 cup roughly chopped cilantro or flat-leaf parsley leaves
Toss cabbage mix, salt and lime together in a large bowl; set aside for 5 minutes. It will shrink down a bit. Stir in scallions, then mayo and hot sauce. Adjust seasonings/ingredients to taste, then stir in cilantro leaves. Serve alongside quesadillas or any of your favorite tortilla-clad meals.

Aloo Gobi

From Manjula's Kitchen - http://www.manjulaskitchen.com

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of cut cauliflower (cut into small florets)
• 2 medium potatoes (cubed into bite sized pieces)
• 1/2 inch shredded ginger
• 3 teaspoons coriander powder (dhania)
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric (haldi)
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper ( lal mirch)
• 3 tablespoons water
• 3 tablespoons oil
• Pinch of Asafetida (Hing)
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
• 2 green chilies, sliced in long pieces
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon salt (to taste)
• 1 teaspoon mango powder (amchoor)
• 2 tablespoons of chopped cilantro (green coriander)
• 1/4 cup water as needed

Method:

1. In a small bowl, mix the shredded ginger, coriander powder, cayenne pepper, turmeric, and 3 tablespoons of water to make a paste.
2. Heat the oil in a pan. Test the heat by adding one cumin seed to the oil; if the seed cracks right away, the oil is ready.
3. Add asafetida and cumin seeds to the oil after seeds crack add the bay leaves and green chilies and stir for a few seconds.
4. Next, add the spice paste and stir for a minute.
5. Add cauliflower, potatoes, 2 tablespoons of water and salt. Mix well. Cover the pan and let it cook on medium heat for about 15 to 20 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Make sure to stir gently every 3 to 4 minutes.
6. Lastly, add the mango powder and fresh cilantro. Mix everything and cover for a minute. Adjust the salt to your taste.

Spencer's Variation: I ignored the asafetida and mango powder because I couldn't find anything. I also didn't put in cilantro because I forgot. And I only put in one green chile, minced.

Spicy Cauliflower Soup

From "The Art of Simple Food" by Alice Waters...
Serves 4-6

Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a heavy-bottomed soup pot

Add and cook, stirring often over medium heat:
-1 large onion, peeled and diced
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced very small, almost minced
-1 tsp coriander
-1 tsp. cumin
-1 tsp. chile powder
- 1/4 tsp. turmeric
-1/4 tsp dried chile flakes (I used red pepper flakes)
- 1 tsp. salt
-pepper

When very soft, but not browned, add
-6 sprigs cilantro, coarsely chopped (I used more)
-1 large head of cauliflower, trimmed of leaves and coarsely chopped (5-6 cups)
-3 cups vegetable broth
-3 cups water

Raise the heat and bring to a boil, stir occasionally. Reduce the heat to simmer and cook about 30 minutes until the cauliflower is very tender. Stir vigorously with a spoon or whisk to coarsely puree the soup (I also put about half of it in a blender, whirled it around a bit, then returned it to the pot). Add more water or broth if the soup is too thick. Taste, adjust seasonings, add more salt if necessary. Serve hot garnished with chopped cilantro or mint and a squeeze of lime juice.

Cauliflower Marranca

Adapted from the Moosewood Cookbook

Cook one cup brown rice, stir in one tsp. of salt and 2 T. butter (makes about 3 cups cooked rice)

Saute one large chopped onion in olive oil until soft.

Add one large head cauliflower, separated into florets. Saute with the juice of one lemon, 3 cloves crushed garlic, one tsp. dried basil, salt and pepper.

Stir together sauteed cauliflower/onion, brown rice, and two-and-a-half cups of grated sharp cheddar cheese. Pour into buttered casserole dish, and bake, covered for a half hour at 350 degrees.

Good additions include fresh basil or a few tablespoons of pesto