PAUL BERTOLLI'S CAULIFLOWER SOUP

Serves 8

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion (6 ounces), sliced thin

1 head very fresh cauliflower (about 1-1/2 pounds), broken into florets

Salt, to taste

5 1/2 cups water, divided

Extra virgin olive oil, to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Add the cauliflower, salt to taste, and 1/2 cup water. Raise the heat slightly, cover the pot tightly and stew the cauliflower for 15 to 18 minutes, or until tender. Then add another 4 1/2 cups hot water, bring to a low simmer and cook an additional 20 minutes uncovered.
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2. Working in batches, purée the soup in a blender to a very smooth, creamy consistency. Let the soup stand for 20 minutes. In this time it will thicken slightly.
3. Thin the soup with 1/2 cup hot water. Reheat the soup. Serve hot, drizzled with a thin stream of extra-virgin olive oil and freshly ground black pepper.

Cauliflower Fritters

CAULIFLOWER FRITTERS
Prep Time: 20-30 minutes          Total time: 60 minutes
Makes: 4 Servings
What you need
1 cauliflower (about 2 pounds), washed and broken into florets (about 1½
inches each)
½ teaspoon salt plus ½ teaspoon salt
3 large eggs, beaten to blend
2 garlic cloves minced
½ teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1 Tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon pepper
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon chopped parsley or sour cream or salsa - optional
Make it
1) Preheat oven to 200 degrees.  Pour about 1 quart water into a 6-8
quart size pan and bring to a boil.  Add cauliflower and ½ teaspoon of
salt; cover, reduce heat, and simmer until cauliflower is soft enough to
mash, 10-12 minutes.  Drain.  Or do in microwave.
2) Put cauliflower in large bowl and mash with a fork.  Let cool until no
longer steaming.  Stir in eggs, garlic and Tabasco sauce, then mix in
flour, baking powder, paprika, pepper and remaining ½ teaspoon of
salt.
3) Pour 1 teaspoon of olive oil into an 8-10 inch frying pan over medium
high heat.  Working in batches, drop cauliflower mixture in heaping
tablespoons into pan and cook turning once, until fritters are golden
brown on both sides, about 6-8 minutes per batch.  Transfer to baking
pan and keep warm in the oven while cooking remaining fritter.  Add
more oil as needed between batches.  Garnish with salsa, sour cream,
chopped parsley as desired.
Nutrition Information:
Calories               107           Carbohydrate    7.2g
Dietary Fiber           2. 2g      Fat                       6.2g        
Protein                   6.8g      Sodium            600mg