Zupas Wisconsin Cauliflower Soup

Wisconsin Cauliflower Soup

I found this on Pinterest, and the recipe came from this blog:
http://crowleyparty.blogspot.com/2011/06/wisconsin-cauliflower-soup-zupas.html

Zupa's Wisconsin Cauliflower Soup (with variations by me)

2 tablespoons margarine or butter (1/4 stick)

1 medium onion, chopped (yep, I didn't have any of this, so I left it out and added some onion salt...totally not the same, but it ended up ok)

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 spoon salt (I think this means "teaspoon")

2 cups milk

1 can (13 3/4 to 14 1/2 ounces) chicken broth (I used bouillon cubes, two of them, dissolved in 2 cups of boiling water) 

1 head (2 1/2 pounds) cauliflower, cut into 1-inch pieces (I used a bag of frozen cauliflower)

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (haha I used yellow mustard, but almost left it out completely)

1 cup Sharp Cheddar cheese

1 cup Pepper Jack cheese (none at our house, so I used mozzarella and then added pepper to the soup until it tasted good to me)

In 4-quart saucepan, melt margarine or butter over medium heat. Add onion and cook until golden, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in flour and salt; cook 2minutes, stirring frequently. Gradually stir in milk, chicken broth, and 1 1/2 cups water; add cauliflower and heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer until cauliflower is tender, about 10 minutes. In blender (with center part of blender cover removed to allow steam to escape), blend cauliflower mixture at low speed in small batches until very smooth. Return cauliflower mixture to saucepan; heat over medium heat until hot, stirring occasionally. Remove saucepan from heat; stir in mustard and 1 1/2 cups cheese until melted and smooth. Garnish soup with remaining cheese to serve. 

This was really so easy. I followed the recipe almost exactly (except with my substitutions), and it turned out great! My husband always orders this soup at Zupas, so I made it for him. He said the real kind is a little thicker (maybe I added more water with the bouillon than I should have), and more yellow. But he said the taste was almost exact! 

We ate it with rolls, because that's my favorite way to have any kind of soup.

Husband's Reaction: He was very appreciative that I made soup on a cold, snowy day. When I asked if this was a recipe I should repeat again, he said yes. When I told him it wouldn't hurt my feelings if he said no, he still said yes. I thought it turned out great! I'm making this the next time I have to bring soup to a social gathering.

Shannan's Potato Soup (from Mom again)

Shannan's Potato Soup

6 medium to large potatoes (or I used 10 small ones), peeled and cubed

1 cube butter (to cut down on fat and save money, I used only about 3/4 of a cube, and it turned out great!)

1/2 onion, chopped

1/2 c. flour

2 c. heavy whipping cream or half and half

1 pound bacon, cooked till crisp and then crumbled (I substituted about a fourth a package of pepperoni, cut up and crisped on the stove...worked great!)

1 tsp. Salt

1/4 tsp. Pepper

 Place potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water (have it be about 2 inches over the potatoes). Bring to a boil and cook gently about 15-20 minutes (till tender). Drain a little bit of the water.

Meanwhile, saute onion in butter til onion is tender. Stir flour into butter. Slowly stir in 2 c. heavy whipping cream (of half and half) until smooth and thick. Add to potatoes and cook for a couple of minutes to thicken. (You may need to add a little more water if it is too thick---however you like it).

Then add salt, pepper, bacon, and cheddar cheese. I saved a little cheese to put on top. This way we could add as little or as much as we liked.

Served with a nice hunk of bread, and it's like you're eating at Zupas...or, according to my husband, better!

He gives it 5 stars. :)