Seared Cauliflower and Cashew Soup

Ingredients

0 of 14 out on the counter

• 8 cups cauliflower florets and trimmed core, in ½-inch pieces
• 2 tbsp olive oil, for searing the cauliflower
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp smoked paprika
• ½ tsp ground mustard seed
• 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1½ oz raw unsalted cashews
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1½ oz raw pumpkin seeds (about ⅓ cup), for the top
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley, for the top
• 1 cup water

All set! Everything is out. Time to bake.

Method

1. 1Toast the pumpkin seeds in a dry 5-quart pot over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring, until they smell nutty and a few pop. Tip them onto a plate and leave the pot on the heat.
2. 2Add 1 tbsp of the olive oil. Add half the cauliflower and cook 6 to 8 minutes over medium-high heat, stirring now and then, until the pieces have golden spots. Scoop them out. Add the other tbsp of oil and sear the second half the same way.
3. 3Put all the cauliflower back in the pot with the onion, garlic powder, paprika and mustard. Stir 3 minutes, until the onion softens.
4. 4Add the broth, the water, the cashews, the salt and the pepper. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer. Water boils at about 203 °F at 5,430 ft, so go by the fork, not the clock: it is ready when a piece of cauliflower mashes against the side of the pot with no push, about 15 minutes.
5. 5Blend until completely smooth, in batches in a blender with the lid vented and a towel over it, or with an immersion blender in the pot, 2 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice.
6. 6Ladle into 4 bowls. Top each with a quarter of the pumpkin seeds and ½ tbsp of the parsley.
7. 7Cool leftovers no more than 2 hours (1 hour if the room is above 90 °F), then refrigerate. Reheat to a boil.