Week 29 and baby is about 15.5 inches and 2.5 pounds. What size is that? Well, my sources say a cauliflower. We love cauliflower around here. One of our favorite ways to enjoy it is as a soup. It’s creamy and sweet and full of roasted garlic and minced carrots, onions, and celery. I like to half blend it to thicken it a bit before adding the white Cheddar. What’s also neat about this recipe is it feels more indulgent than it is due to the secret creamy base ingredients. Flour mixed with milk is what thickens it-not heavy cream. Now, I’m not passing any judgment if you want to use heavy cream because yes, it’s the best thing in the world. Make it either way you want-just substitute the cream for the milk and enjoy!
Ingredients
2 large heads of cauliflower cored and roughly chopped
Head of garlic
Lots of extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium yellow onion chopped
4 medium carrots chopped
4 celery stalks chopped
1 dried bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 cup all purpose flour
6 cups vegetable broth or more
1 1/4 cups milk nonfat milk or unsweetened almond milk
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese-white cheddar
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Arrange the chopped cauliflower on a large sheet pan. Drizzle with the olive oil, season with a pinch of salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Spread into a single layer.
Take the head of garlic and slice the top most part of the garlic off until you see most of the tips of the garlic cloves exposed. Place it on a large square of tin foil and then cover in olive oil, saturating the entire head. Wrap the head up securely in foil and twist the foil closed at the top. Place it on the large baking sheet.
Roast for 30 minutes, flipping and stirring once halfway through to ensure both sides get that caramelization. Remove from the oven when fully roasted and then set aside to cool. When cool enough to handle, squeeze the garlic from its skin.
In a large pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until just beginning to soften. Add the carrots and celery, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the garlic cloves, cauliflower, bay leaf, and thyme. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and mix to combine. Cook until the flour disappears, about 2 minutes.
Pour in the broth, stir, and bring to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes. Stir in the milk and cheese, and continue mixing until the cheese is melted and the chowder is creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. Discard the bay leaf.
Use an immersion blender or a blender to puree it until it reaches your desired consistency.
Season with salt and pepper to taste. Ladle the chowder into bowls, top with more shredded cheese and serve warm.