Potlikker: all apologies soup

Never-mind the three month absence. That's what this soup recipe is clearing up. The crippling fatigue I felt all fall, which prevented me from blogging, and cooking anything of note...well, the blogging about it part, at least, wasn't because of a lingering flu, like I imagined.

My blood pressure soared to heights it never reached when I was pregnant. Too much stress at home. Too much stress at work.

Last night I made this yummy roasted cauliflower, mushroom, and arugula soup. I based it on Ina Garten's roasted potato leek soup, which I made about two weeks ago. Successfully, I might add, all but fore the crispy shallots.

Where the heck am I supposed to find shallots?

And I'm gonna shout it out to the world: I LOVE LEEKS!!

During my down time--I took about two weeks off from work after Christmas just to do nothing-- I kept the Food Network on in the background and reveled in the Barefoot Contessa.

Surely, that I what I hate most about being a "working woman" well, one who works outside the home, at least--I don't get to watch back-to-back episodes of Barefoot Contessa everyday on Food Network. That might be my real dream, afterall.

Btw, my mom gave me BC's newest cookbook for Christmas. I bought two pounds of carrots and a bunch of marscapone to make that carrot cake recipe. BUT, then my labs came back from my PCP visit and my cholesterol is SO high that I don't know if I dare make the cake or not.

That's why the soup. Trying to reform my fried and fatty food ways. Eat more fiber. I've always eaten good fats. Methinks it's the too much eating out that drove my cholesterol sky-high...during the deep-fatigue months of autumn. Also, I have inherited high cholesterol.

But enough about that. You came for the recipe, right?

Hope I can remember it. Much of my cooking is by feel and taste; not exact at all.

All apologies soup

One head of cauliflower, rinsed & cut up
One container of mixed mushrooms, rinsed
handfull of arugula, rinsed
salt & pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
64 oz organic chicken stock (two boxes)
1/2 cup half & half
2 cups whipping cream
3 tablespoons olive oil, separated
1 cup white wine, separated

Heat oven to 400. Spread cauliflower evenly on baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and 2 T olive oil. Roast about 40 minutes. Check every 10-15 minutes and turn. At last 10 minutes douse with 1/2 c white wine and sprinkle arugula over top and let it wilt.

As your cauliflower is roasting you can be working on the mushrooms. Saute mushrooms with remaining olive oil in Dutch oven. Pour in one box of chicken stock and let simmer about 15 minutes, then add half & half. Stir and continue to simmer.

At 40 minutes, remove baking sheet from oven. Be sure to wear an oven mitt. Scrape cauliflower and arugula (and leavings) from baking sheet into Dutch oven and stir to incorporate everything into the soup. Add whipping cream, nutmeg, wine (I used a Toad Hollow Chardonnay I had on hand and it was divine, though Sauvignon Blanc is typically suggested for cooking purposes), and second box of chicken stock. Simmer another 10-15 minutes until ingredients are warmed together.

You could always use a hand-blender to pulverize this into a thicker, condensed soup, which is what Ina Garten recommends with the roasted potato leek soup this is based upon. But I prefer a more rustic soup with hearty pieces of cauliflower floating around, more like a stew.