Recipe: Cream of Cauliflower Soup

From: MED/TN

CREAM OF CAULIFLOWER SOUP

2 tablespoons shortening
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 small carrot, cut up (or grated)
1 cup chopped celery
1 head firm cauliflower, cut up
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 qt chicken broth (or boullion eqiv.)
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 tsp. peppercorns, 1/2 bay leaf
1 tsp. tarragon, tied in cheesecloth bag
4 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
1 cup half and half
1 cup sour cream at room temp.

Cook onion in shortening. Continue stirring add
carrot and celery and cook 2 min. Add cauliflower
and 1 Tbsp. parsley. Cover pot and turn heat low,
stirring occasionally. After 15 min. add chicken
broth, salt, and bag of herbs. Bring to boil over
med. heat. Reduce and simmer.

In small pan, melt butter. Mix flour into milk
with wire whisk and slowly, add to butter. Cook
to medium consistency. Remove from heat: dilute
with half-and-half and pour into simmering soup.
Stir gently with wooden spoon and simmer 15-20min.

Just before serving, remove herb bag, place sour
cream in soup bowl (or tureen) and remaining parsley
and pour soup. NOTE: For stronger cauliflower taste, put leaves,
hard white core and stalks from cauliflower into
soup with soup bones if making your own chicken
broth.