A combination of Thanksgiving over-planning and continued concern over our vanishing seasonal vegetables recently deposited pounds of broccoli and golden cauliflower in our refrigerator. But thanks to Michelle (and of course, our voracious and demonstrably-upset-at-the-arrival-of-cold chickens), very little of our efflorescence of florets went to waste.
One preparation was a last-minute substitute for a creamier broccoli salad, as we realized our Thanksgiving meal’s butterfat quotient was beginning to approach Brillat-Savarin cheese levels. This version mixed broccoli and golden cauliflower into a light, spicy and garlicky side dish that made a crisp and fresh counterpoint to turkey, chestnut stuffing, corn pudding and generous amounts of gravy.
Our typically over-saturated American Turkey Day menu prep didn’t turn us away from cream, however, as we transformed the rest of our cruciferous cache into this rich, cheesy soup, which we enjoyed as we wound down from our holiday cooking.
Winter is pretty much here, and our local vegetable markets will soon be going away for a while. We resolve to do less complaining and more cooking, and make the bleak months as tasty as possible.
(adapted from Ina Garten’s The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook) Blanch broccoli and cauliflower separately in salted, boiling water for a minute or so. Drain and immerse in ice water. Put in a colander to drain, tossing occasionally until dry. Put olive oil and garlic cloves in a small, heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cook until garlic is browned and tender. Remove from heat and add pepper flakes and salt. Remove garlic cloves with a slotted spoon. Pour oil into a heat-proof bowl to stop the cooking. Let cool. Toss vegetables and garlic cloves with as much of the seasoned oil as needed to coat, making sure to add the pepper and salt which will have dropped to the bottom of the bowl. Season with black pepper to taste. Serve cold or at room temperature.BROCCOLI & CAULIFLOWER SALAD
(adapted from Vegetable Soups from Deborah Madison’s Kitchen) Melt butter in a soup pot. Add onion, broccoli, cauliflower, garlic, cayenne, marjoram, bay leaf and thyme. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes or so, stirring occasionally. Add salt. Add flour, tossing until dissolved. Pour in stock and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, covered, until vegetables are tender. Then, add cream and milk. When warmed, turn off heat and remove bay leaf. Purée solids with some liquid in blender in batches. Place in a clean soup pot. Stir in mustard. Taste for seasoning and add more salt if necessary, along with some pepper. Add cheese. Reheat, but make sure not to boil as it will toughen the cheese. Add more stock if needed to thin the soup. Serve with croutons sprinkled with fresh thyme leaves.BROCCOLI & CAULIFLOWER CHEESE SOUP
Gourmandistan 
Love that resolution! And I think we all need to keep asking, requesting, begging growers to add hoop houses to extend our winter veggie season so that greens, at least, become year-round. There are hurdles, but people in other places seem to jump those hurdles. For example, the awesome Au Naturel farm at Smith’s Grove seems to keep getting better and better. It must be that growers around Lou and Lex don’t believe we will pay enough, and so they can’t make projected numbers work. Maybe we need a campaign where we get friends and like-minded folks to join us in wearing buttons all winter that says “Will pay for local greens.”
Good idea, Rona! Actually, we’re pretty lucky here with Grateful Greens, and I understand that Pavel has put up a hoop house at Foxhollow.
Have never seen golden cauliflower before. Thanks for the recipes :)!
You’re welcome. The yellowy cauliflower is really pretty for sure.
Oh that soup looks awesome! I don’t mind you bitching about winter!
Worry not. We lie. We’ll do plenty of bitching. I’m sure of it.
Oh, it’s winter here, too. We’re also mourning the loss of local produce and hunkering down for a winter of comfort foods. Thank you for giving us a few to add to the roster. It’s been a long time since I’ve made broccoli soup. Now’s the time! Your site is beautiful.
Thank you so much! I hadn’t made broccoli soup in an age myself (and, indeed, there are plenty of bad ones out there). But I just couldn’t bear to let all those stalks go to waste.
Beautiful,healthy and definately delicious! thanks for sharing the recipe!:P
You’re so welcome.