While growing up, cauliflower was always served raw alongside a creamy veggie dip concoction.  No one ever seemed to cook it, which was fine because my culinary mind had not developed and I was not yet thinking outside the box.

When the low-carb diet came around, cauliflower seemed to be the lone vegetable getting all the attention amongst all the butter and meat.  Most chain restaurants were serving mashed cauliflower instead of mashed potatoes.  My girlfriends were ordering it along with their burgers (bunless, of course) and steaks.  I cannot tell you how many times I was told that I just had to try the mashed cauliflower.  I was stubborn and would not buy into any part of the low-carb revolution.  I was happy with cauliflower the way it had always been: raw.

Years have passed and I admit, I have since tried mashed cauliflower and loved it, especially with blue cheese.  However, I have since discovered roasted cauliflower, which is so easy to make and does not call for cream, butter, or cheese like mashed cauliflower does.  Have you tried it?  This stuff is amazing and it is completely in season right now.

I cannot just settle for the simple white cauliflower when the local farms produce so many options.  I need to get fun heads of cauliflower like purple, green and orange.  All three varieties taste similar to white cauliflower, but the boldness of color makes life a little more exciting.  Simply cut the florets off a head or two of cauliflower.  Toss florets with a drizzle of olive oil and bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes or until tender.  Throw in a bunch of herbs or specialty salts and you will have a beautiful and healthy side dish.  Just three florets of cauliflower provide half the daily requirement of Vitamin C.

While shopping at the farmers market for cauliflower, I could not help but notice the abundance of leeks, a part of the onion and garlic family.  It looks like this:

 

In the past, I would turn to an old standby, Leek Rings, or Leek and Butternut Squash Fettuccini, but I wanted something a bit lighter, so instead, I made a delicious Cauliflower and Leek Soup adapted from Food and Wine magazine using leeks and cauliflower as a base and roasted cauliflower, crunchy pecans and toasted croutons as toppings.



Cauliflower Soup with Pecans and Rye Croutons
(4 servings)

2 tablespoons light olive oil
2 leeks, white and pale green parts only, cut into 2-inch pieces and halved lengthwise (rinse leeks well to remove dirt inside)
2 garlic cloves, smashed
One 2-pound head of cauliflower, cored and cut into 2-inch florets, 1/2 cup of tiny florets reserved for garnish
1 Granny Smith apple—peeled, cored and cut into 2-inch pieces
4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
3 thyme sprigs
1 slice whole grain bread, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/4 cup pecan pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Few dashes of hot sauce, to taste

Preheat the oven to 350°. In a large, heavy pot, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the leeks and garlic and cook over moderate heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the large cauliflower florets and the apple and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the broth and thyme sprigs and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over low heat for 45 minutes.

Spread the diced bread, pecan pieces and tiny cauliflower florets on a large rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and toss to coat. Season generously with salt and pepper and bake, stirring once, for about 10 minutes, or until the bread croutons are crisp.

Discard the thyme sprigs from the soup. Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender. Return the soup to the pot and season with salt, pepper and hot sauce. Ladle into bowls, scatter the croutons, pecans and cauliflower on top and serve.