Cauliflower-Cheese Soup

This soup is great on a cold wintery night, and as an added bonus, cauliflower is in season. This recipe is from The Moosewood Cookbook (the revised classic) with a few variations of my own.

Cauliflower Cheese Soup

1 medium potato, diced
1 large cauliflower, cut or broken into pieces
1 medium carrot, chopped
3 medium cloves garlic, peeled
1 1/2 cup onion, diced
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 cups grated cheese
3/4 cup milk
1 tsp dill
black pepper, to taste

1. Put potatoes, cauliflower, carrot, garlic, onion, and salt in pot and almost cover the veggies with water. Bring to a boil, then simmer until all the veggies are tender. Puree in a blender or food processor.
2. Add these to the puree along with all remaining ingredients. Heat gently, and serve topped with a little extra cheese.

I don't blend all of the ingredients thoroughly so the soup has some consistency to it. You can also put aside two cups of florets of cauliflower, steam them, and put them in the soup after you puree it.

The original recipe calls for 1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds, but I don't like them so I never add them.

I also used smoked swiss cheese this time and it was delicious. Enjoy with all its variations.