Cauliflower Chickpea Soup

I'm on day 839,426 seven of quarantine, but that doesn't mean that #SoupSunday wouldn't happen! I made this soup using ingredients that I always have on hand and that to me is my favorite type of cooking. Opening the fridge/freezer and pantry to go shopping for ingredients instead of going to the supermarket means I can make soup without changing out of my pajamas and if that isn't living the life I don't know what is :)

Every time I use a bag of frozen cauliflower I always save the little crumbs that aren't suitable to serve as a side dish. I collect all of those cauliflower crumbs in a Ziploc bag in my freezer and after a while, I had enough to make this soup. I actually thought about making this soup before I went to NY, but then thought, no this is perfect pantry staple soup, a soup perfect for quarantine. It's also really perfect for the next lockdown that Israel is heading into tonight, but let's talk soup. 

This soup starts out by roasting the cauliflower and chickpeas with a good pinch of cumin. This step adds an amazing layer of flavor to the soup so please don't skip it. While the cauliflower and chickpeas roast the onion and garlic saute in a pot on the stove and then some white wine joins the party to deglaze the pot which releases any stuck-on bits of flavor from the bottom of the pot. The wine reduces and adds another layer of flavor to the soup in the form of acidity and slight fruitiness which is a great addition to the soup. The roasted cauliflower and chickpeas get added to the pot along with some water the soup then cooks for a bit and then gets blended until smooth and creamy. If you want to go all out you can add a good splash of heavy cream or coconut milk to the soup to make it really rich, but honestly, it doesn't really need that because the cauliflower and chickpeas make the soup really creamy on their own. 

See notes below the recipe about ingredient explanations and substitutions.

Cauliflower Chickpea Soup 

800 grams of frozen cauliflower  or 1 large head of fresh cauliflower broken down into florets 

1 can chickpeas drained 

3 Tbsp olive oil, divided

Salt 

1/2 tsp pepper 

3/4 tsp cumin 

1 medium onion, diced 

3 cloves garlic, minced 

1/3 cup semi-dry or dry white wine 

5-6 cups of water 

Preheat oven to 220°C/425°F 

In a large pot add the cauliflower, chickpeas, 2 tablespoons olive oil, pinch of salt, pepper, and cumin. Stir to coat the cauliflower and chickpeas with the olive oil and spices. You can toss the cauliflower with the spices in a bowl, but why dirty a bowl when this pot is going to get dirty when you make the soup?

Place the seasoned cauliflower and chickpeas in a single layer on a parchment-lined tray. Roast for 25-30 minutes until golden and crisp around the edges. 

With 10-15 minutes left to the roasting time start sauteing the onion. Take that same pot that you tossed the cauliflower and chickpeas in and place it over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the diced onion along with a pinch of salt. Cook the onion for about 8 minutes until slightly tender and golden. Add the minced garlic and cook for another minute. Add the white wine and scrape up any bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. After the cauliflower and chickpeas have roasted you can reserve a few florets and chickpeas for garnish. Add the roasted cauliflower and chickpeas along with 5 cups of water. You don't want to add all the water at once because not all bags and heads of cauliflower are created equal and you might not need all 6 cups of water. When you blend the soup you can add more water if the texture is too thick for you, but you don't want to add all the water at once because you can always add more, but you can't remove it. Bring the soup to a boil and then reduce the flame and cover the pot. 

Simmer the soup for 20 minutes, remove from the heat and then blend until smooth using an immersion blender or work in batches in a stand blender. If the soup is too thick add some of the reserved 1 cup of water until you reach your desired thickness. 

Taste the soup and add more salt if necessary. Ladle it up and enjoy! 

Yield: 4-6 servings 

A few notes about the ingredients 

Cauliflower - fresh or frozen or even riced whichever you prefer. In Israel, the frozen bags are usually 800 grams and I've looked online and seen that in the States the bags are usually 24 oz or 32 oz you can use either size the soup will be just fine. 

Chickpeas - if you don't have use canned white beans instead 

Onion - you can use 3 shallots in place if you don't have an onion on hand just use 1 clove of garlic instead of 3 as shallots have slight notes of garlic. 

White wine - there is 1/3 of a cup in the recipe - please use a wine that you would drink, a wine that you enjoy because why would you add something that doesn't taste good to your soup? If you don't have any wine on hand you can use 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or 2 tsp white wine vinegar and 1/4 cup of water.