Soup on a rainy day

It was raining and cold, so what do we need for dinner... Soup!  

I will be honest here, I'm not sure this recipe belongs on my "hidden vegetable" blog, because many soups really are made with pureed vegetables and we know it.  Cream of potato for example.  Mash some potatoes, make into soup.  So basically, this is going on the blog because it has lots of pureed cauliflower in it, and so far, pureed cauliflower has been sort of the theme.

So here we go:

3 cups pureed cauliflower
1 cup frozen onions
1 cup water
2 cups chopped carrots (into circles, you know?)
2 cups chopped little red potatoes
1/2 cup onion and chive cream cheese (I chose that amount because it was all that was left in the container)
2 teaspoons minced garlic
salt, pepper, parsley

I started with the cauliflower and onions on the stove, realized it was going to be too thick, and added the water.  Then I added everything else and cooked until carrots and potatoes were soft.   I think I am forgetting something... oh yeah!  Sausage.  You know those ones that are shaped like a U?  Mmmm, did I mention it was cold and rainy?  At the end I added 2 cups chopped sausage.

So it was pretty thick, maybe next time I'd add more water or milk.  Also maybe I'd experiment with some additional seasonings.  Or maybe more onions.  When I say it like that, it sounds like it was bland, but it wasn't bland, I guess I just felt like it needed something else.  Next time I am going to measure the amount of salt, pepper, and parsley instead of just sprinkling it in.  (Am I ever going to learn to measure?)

Although, I am eating the leftover's for lunch right now, and I really like it!  Maybe it just needed to sit overnight.

Here are some pictures:

I sprinkled more parsley on top, to make it so pretty.  I learned that from Chef Ramsey, presentation matters!  (Ever watch Hell's Kitchen?  Jillian should have won last season.)

 

Yep, those are my mom's biscuits, also perfect for a rainy day... or any day!!  They are my favorite, but no matter what I do, I just can't make them as good as hers. :)   (Pay no attention to the old burnt cookie pan...)

The Verdict:

The research team had the same sort of response that I did.  "More pepper."  But then after eating it, he said he thought it would also be good as a chowder, all I would have to do is add clams.  Sometimes I think my research team has better ideas than I do!

The bottom line is that pureed vegetables are easy to make into soups that are very tasty, and you can make them however you want.  Which is why I think I felt like it was cheating to put it up on the the blog!  One that I made last year was a pureed pumpkin and onion... I've been meaning to have my research team make some pancakes (he makes the best pancakes) with the pumpkin I have, but if this rain keeps up....