Easy Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 pound of mushrooms (I used small portobellos) - cleaned and sliced
1 bulb of garlic - whole
1 head of cauliflower - cleaned, trimmed and broken in to large florets
6 medium Yukon Gold potatoes
I tablespoon broth paste ( I used Better than Bouillon)
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
Toss mushrooms with 1/4 C good olive oil, sprinkle lightly with a large pinch of salt
and place on large cookie sheet.
Oil the bulb of garlic with olive oil and place on a corner of the cookie sheet - cover with an oven proof small bowl or cup.
Place cookie sheet in oven and roast mushrooms and garlic for 20-30 minutes until the mushrooms have darkened and reabsorbed the mushrooms juices. Remove from oven.
While the mushrooms are roasting - place the potatoes in the bottom of a large pot - add water just to cover and then place the cauliflower on top. This way the potatoes boil and the cauliflower steams. Simmer over medium low heat just until the potatoes are tender. Drain, reserving the liquid, and mash the potatoes and cauliflower together and place in a large bowl.
Add 1 heaping tablespoon of broth paste to reserved potato water and mix well. Add more water if needed to equal 4 cups of broth.
Squeeze 4-6 cloves of roasted garlic from the papery skins.Place them in a blender - blend together with roughly 2 cups of the cauliflower/potato mixture, a handful of roasted mushrooms and 1 cup of the broth. Pour back in to the large pot. Continue in the manner until all of the broth, cauliflower and potatoes are used up. Reserve a couple of handfuls of the roasted mushrooms - chop these and toss them into the soup with out blending them. Add more salt and lots of pepper, to taste. Heat gently over low heat and serve with a salad and some good bread for a hearty, warm and filling meal.
