Cheesy Cauliflower Soup with Ham

It's embarrassing to see how long it has been since I posted here. The reality is that I've been finally been broken by my family. :-) I've been giving in to their desires for burgers and take-out pizza and and the other boring-but-easy foods that they prefer. However, it is really hard for me to resist a beautiful head of cauliflower, so last night I made a rich and delicious cauliflower soup. Here's what I did:

Cheesy Cauliflower Soup with Ham

1 large head cauliflower

3 Tbsp. butter

1 small onion

1 leek (white and light green parts)

1 carrot

1 celery stalk

1/2 bottle beer (about 1 cup)

6 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

1/2 tsp thyme

1 cup diced ham

4 oz sharp cheddar

4 oz cream cheese

1 to 2 Tbsp. finely minced parsley

salt and pepper

Cut cauliflower into small florets. Finely dice or chop the other vegetables. Melt butter in large soup pot. Saute the onion, leek, carrot, and celery until tender, seasoning with salt and pepper. Add cauliflower and stir to coat with butter. When the cauliflower is hot and just beginning to soften, add the beer, chicken broth, and thyme. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, partially covered, until the cauliflower is very tender. Roughly puree the soup with an immersion blender. Add ham and continue to simmer while you shred the cheddar cheese. Stir in the cheeses until they are melted. Stir in the parsley. Add more salt and pepper to taste. Eat.

I might have used dill, which I love, instead of parsley, but my daughter doesn't like it. A little mustard might be good in it.

Make your own soup. Have fun with it. Although I have written this down as a recipe, I didn't follow any recipe. It's more fun to just concoct your own soup based on what you have in the house. If you are new to soup making, read a few recipes so you get an idea of the appropriate proportions, then experiment a little.