Middle Eastern Spiced Cauliflower Soup with Caramelized Onions and Raisins
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 8
Ingredients:
2 medium-sized onions
4 TBs vegetable oil
2 TBs cumin seeds + 1 TB ground cumin
1 TB coriander seeds
3 teaspoons paprika
6 garlic cloves
2 heads of cauliflower
1 Bay leaf
6 cups water
Juice of 1 lemon
2 TBs salt or more, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
¼ cup dried golden raisins
Directions:
Mince garlic finely. Chop onion into bite-size pieces (no need to chop too finely).
Heat a heavy-bottomed pot (preferably a Dutch oven) to medium heat. Add 2 TBs of oil. Add cumin seeds, coriander seeds, and 2 tsps of paprika, and let toast for a minute, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and continue sauteing until garlic turns golden, 2 more minutes.
Add 2 more TBs of oil and chopped onion, and lower the heat to low-medium. Cook the onion until it caramelizes, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes. When done cooking, set aside ¾ cup of the onion-spice mixture.
Meanwhile, cut up cauliflower roughly (remove the bottom of the stem, but no need to discard the stem - it will be fine in the soup). When onions have finished cooking, add cauliflower along with 8 cups of water and a bay leaf to the pot. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and continue simmering for 20 minutes.
Blend soup completely with an immersion blender or in a standing blender (if doing the latter, let soup cool first!). Add 1 TB of ground cumin and 2 last tsps of paprika, lemon juice and salt, and pepper to the soup.
Taste and correct seasonings as needed.
When serving, top each bowl with a tablespoon of caramelized onions and a handful of golden raisins.
Recipe courtesy of At The Immigrant’s Table.com
