So one day, the day I was prepping for my dinner party and Ultimate Charcuterie, I was at none other than my favorite grocery store, wegmans. I was stocking up on all the cheeses, meats and goodies I wanted to feature on my board. And at the very last second I picked up what I thought was chunks of parmesan cheese. It wasn’t until I started putting the Charcuterie board together that I realized I had actually picked up parmesan rinds. Parmesan rinds are hard and practically inedible. Devastated, I just threw them into the fridge thinking I’d figure out what to do with them later.
It wasn’t until I was on a work trip to Rome, that I had mentioned the unfortunate incident to a fellow colleague while talking about the buffet of cheeses at our conference. She had suggested freezing the rinks and throwing them into a soup. Brilliant! I’m not sure why I hasn’t thought of that before. As soon as I got home, I threw the rinds into a freezer-safe ziplock bag.
It’s been the warmest February in DC on record. The Washington Post even says it was warmer than the average March! That’s good news for me, she who does not like snow. But it’s bad news for the me who loves cozy soups in the cold months. I cannot let all of winter and early spring go by without at least one more soup recipe – Roasted Cauliflower and Green Pea Soup. And lucky for me, the weather took a turn for the cold when overnight we hit 20 some degrees Fahrenheit.
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower
- 1/4 cup Olive Oil + 1 tablespoon
- Salt, to taste
- ½ teaspoon Ground Cumin
- ¼ teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon Ground Ginger
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 medium Onion, chopped
- 4 cups Chicken Stock
- 12oz Frozen Green Peas, thawed
- 1 Parmesan Rind
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 F
- Wash and cut the cauliflower head into medium-sized (1 1/2-inch) florets
- Place the florets in a large bowl and toss with olive oil, salt, cumin, cinnamon and ginger, until coated
- Spread evenly on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, toss and return to oven for another 10 minutes
- Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium pot over medium-high heat
- Add the onions and sauté until translucent
- Add the Parmesan Rind
- Add the peas, stir for 1 minute
- Then finally add the roasted cauliflower florets
- Pour in the vegetable stock, stir then bring to a boil
- Once boiling, use an immersion blender to smooth the soup to your desired consistency. NOTE: You can also blend the soup using a standing blender. Have another empty pot available. Using a ladle, spoon the soup into the blender and blend until smooth. Then return to the pot. Use the additional pot if you have too much liquid for the standing blender.
- Simmer on low for 5 minutes
- Most of the time the Parmesan rind dissolves in the soup. If it hasn't dissolved, scoop it out with a slotted spoon before serving.
Omgoodness Zayna!! It sounds delicious! !
Thanks Lovely!! It’s so good.