Cauliflower Soup with Sausage and Cheddar

                This is a wonderful soup that can be made thin or thick.  Or maybe in between.  I wanted the cauliflower to be chunky so I did not puree. If you want a smooth thick soup, then once the cauliflower is tender remove it and puree with a small amount of liquid.  REMEMBER that you should only puree about a cup at a time if you are using a blender.  This keeps the extremely hot liquid from splashing onto you!  You can also use a stick blender that goes directly into the pot.  You can only puree part of the cauliflower, if you desire, too.   I served this with a lovely salad and a slice of toasted Oatmeal Walnut bread.  It was a wonderful dinner for a chilly evening.

¼ pound of Breakfast Sausage

6 cloves of garlic, finely minced

1 small head of Cauliflower, washed, leaves removed and chopped

4 cups of Chicken Broth

¼ cup of Heavy Whipping Cream, (not sweetened whipped cream)

3 cups of finely shredded Cheddar Cheese

Coarsely ground Black Pepper to taste

               

                In a four quart stock pot, brown sausage and chop it into small pieces.  Remove meat and Reserve as a garnish.  Leaving the fat from the sausage in the pot, add the garlic, chopped cauliflower, and chicken broth.  Bring to a boil and cook until the cauliflower is tender. (If you are going to puree the cauliflower, remove the cauliflower and allow it to cool a few minutes before pureeing.  Return the pureed cauliflower to the pot.)   Add cream and allow to return to a simmer.  Stir in grated cheese and cook long enough to melt the cheese.   Ladle into bowls and top with sausage.  Allow the soup to cool some before eating it.  The melted cheese needs to cool !!

Enjoy!

Deloris