Had so much fun making this soup for lunch today. Love the color!

I adapted this recipe from love and olive oil.com.

It gets more purple-looking as it cooks.  Looks more pink at this point.

It is deeper in color now as it is almost done.

Ingredients:

  • 1 small head purple cauliflower (or 1/2 of a large one)
  • 2 small purple sweet potatoes or one large (about 1 lb.), peeled and chopped into small pieces
  • 2 medium shallots, chopped
  • 1/2 medium red onion, chopped
  • 2-4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 ribs of celery, chopped
  • 2 T olive oil
  • 4 tablespoons butter, divided
  • 4-5 cups water or combo with vegetable stock
  • 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar, or to taste
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • snipped chives, for topping
  • crème fraîche, for topping

Directions:

  • Trim the cauliflower, removing any green leaves and leaf stems. Remove stem and core; trim and slice into florets. Keep about 1/2-1 cup of the smallest florets and set aside for garnishment. Coarsely cut the rest of cauliflower into  chunks.
  • Melt 2 tablespoons of butter with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large saucepan set over medium heat. Add shallot, onion, celery and salt and pepper and sauté until softened, about 7-10 minutes.
  • Add water/stock and increase heat to high. Add the cauliflower chunks and the sweet potato; bring to a boil, then reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook for about 30  minutes or until cauliflower is tender and cooked through and sweet potato is fork tender.
  • Transfer soup into blender and puree until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids). Return soup to the saucepan over medium-low heat until heated through. Season to taste with vinegar, salt and pepper, plus additional water/stock if desired for a thinner consistency.
  • Meanwhile, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter to pan. Add the reserved florets and cook over medium heat until browned, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.
  • To serve, ladle into serving bowls and drizzle with crème fraîche, garnish with florets, snipped chives and freshly ground black pepper.