Purple vegetables make for a silky smooth cauliflower potato soup in this simple dinner soup recipe.
Purple cauliflower and purple potatoes are well seasoned, cooked and pureed into creamy goodness then garnished with purple daikon and crushed pistachios to add a bit of crunch.
The purple madness in this recipe is the result of all of these purple varieties being available at my local farmer's market. However, the soup can be made using normal colored vegetables. You can't get the look, but texture and similar flavor are achievable.
MOOD MUSIC
Of course Prince was in the mix for this dish.
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE CAULIFLOWER POTATO SOUP
For the Soup
- Cauliflower
- Potatoes
- Daikon Radish
- Red Onions
- Vegetable Stock
- Water
- Dried Thyme
- Garlic Powder
- Smoked Paprika
- Salt
- Olive Oil
Spice Mix
- Fennel Seeds
- Sesame Seed
- Pistachios
- Peppercorns
SOUP COOKING INSTRUCTIONS
Prepare the vegetables
Dice the onions and daikon. Saute both in a medium saucepan over medium heat for about 3-4 minutes. Add cauliflower florets, potatoes, chicken stock, some salt, and cover with water. Boil over high heat then reduce to a simmer cooking until vegetables are fork-tender.
Using a blender or immersion blender puree the vegetables. Return soup to the pot then add thyme, garlic powder, paprika, and salt mixing well. Cook for 5-10 minutes more stirring well and adjusting the seasoning as needed. If soup is too thick, add water or stock until desired consistency.
Make Spice Mix
Toast pistachios in a skillet over medium heat 1-2 minutes. Remove the pistachios and add spice seeds stirring often for 30 seconds. Grind pistachios and seeds coarsely with a mortar and pestle. Garnish the soup with the spice mix.
COOKING CONSIDERATIONS
For more of a roasted flavor in the soup roast the main ingredients vs. boiling. Note, you may lose some of the bright purple color but you gain more intense flavor
Color tends to wash out when cooking and will vary depending on the vegetables. Red onions and the daikon definitely will whether you boil or roast. If boiling the potatoes will bleed purple into the water so when you blend, that color is still there.
Consider the size of vegetables and impact it will have on cooking time and thus flavor. Smaller cut vegetables will cook faster and lose less color, but won't have as intense of flavor.
Definitely toast your spices to get more flavor into this dish
Depending on the desired level of creaminess, plan to add more water or stock.
Flavor Profile of Purple Cauliflower & Potato Soup
Purple potatoes and cauliflower are both moderate in flavor, just north of bland, but they're also very malleable.
Daikon, depending on which part you use can be spicy to mild in flavor. The top part is usually the mildest and well suited to eating raw. The middle tends to be sweeter and for my money is the best part of the daikon given has a mix of both spicy and sweet flavors. The tip is the spiciest part. I wanted a hint of the spiciness with some of that sweetness so I only used the middle relying on cooking to bring out more sweetness.
Lastly, I needed to somehow bring the dish together, something that helped to marry all the flavors. The spices and dried thyme help do just that. The smokiness and earthiness of the paprika as well as the herbal flavor of the thyme act as flavor connectors. The spice mix gives you that initial hit of flavor priming you for the main ingredients, while also aiding in mouthfeel and texture.
Health Benefits of Purple Cauliflower & Potato Soup
- Cauliflower has a rich supply of health-promoting phytochemicals which aid in heart and brain disease
- Daikon improves digestion, boosts the immune system, and is an anti-inflammatory agent
- Fennel seeds aid in respiratory ailments like asthma, diabetes, and fertility
MORE CAULIFLOWER RECIPES
Jerk Whole Roasted Cauliflower
Cheesy Whole Roasted Cauliflower
making this recipe
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Ingredients
Soup
- 1 purple cauliflower florets
- 4 medium purple potatoes peeled and chopped
- 1 large purple daikon peeled and chopped
- 1 small red onion diced
- 3-4 cups water + more as needed
- ½ cup vegetable stock
- 1 teaspoon Dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon ground garlic
- ½ tablespoon Smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 3 tablespoon extra virgin oil
Spice Mix
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- ½ teaspoon sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon Pistachios
- ½ teaspoon Peppercorns
Instructions
- Saute red onions and daikon over medium heat for 3-4 minutes
- Add cauliflower florets, potatoes, a pinch of salt, and cover with water.
- Boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium and continue cooking until vegetables are fork tender.
- Using a blender, mix the vegetables with the vegetable stock from the cooking.
- Return the soup to the pot, add the thyme, garlic, paprika and salt and mix well. Cook for 5 - 10 more minutes, stirring well and adjusting the seasoning as needed. If the soup is too thick, add more water until desired consistency.
- Toast pistachios in skillet over medium heat for 1-2 minutes. Remove pistachios and add seeds stirring often for 30 seconds.
- Grind pistachios and seeds coarsely with mortar and pestle.
Notes
- For more of a roasted flavor in the soup roast the main ingredients vs. boiling. Note, you may lose some of the bright purple color
- Color tends to wash out when cooking and will vary depending on the vegetables. Red onions and the daikon definitely will whether you boil or roast. If boiling the potatoes will bleed purple into the water so when you blend, that color is still there.
- Consider size of vegetables and impact it will have on cooking time and thus flavor. Smaller cut vegetables will cook faster and lose less color, but want have as intense of flavor.
- Definitely toast your spices to get more flavor into this dish
- Depending on desired level of creaminess, plan to add more water or stock.
Danielle Perez
Friday 23rd of April 2021
I think this was great recipe. i didnt use daikon because i didnt havae it but the spices were great! I think i added a little too much broth so it wasnt as purple as yours. but that's okay, just a warning to others to watch out! i topped mine with grated carrot, gruyere, and yogurt, and crushed red pepper! so good!!!