Purple Potato & Cauliflower Creamed Soup

WAIT!!!!

Don’t adjust your computer screen settings. There’s nothing wrong with your monitor – this soup is actually PURPLE in real life. Yeap… purple. As in dinosaur Barney or Prince (you know, as in ‘Purple Rain’ Prince back before he was the ‘artist formerly known as’).

Like most of you, I am a huge fan of farmers’ markets – I stock up on produce every weekend and cook and snack on them all week long. The best visits are those where I find something new that entices and inspires me so much that I don’t think about how I’m going to prepare it until I get home.

That’s why I am so excited to take part in the first ever “Westchester Farmers’ Market Blog-a-Thon.” Here’s the scoop…

…some of Westchester County’s coolest food bloggers are banding together to launch this week-long effort. Throughout the week, participating bloggers will publish delish recipes that are made primarily with ingredients purchased at one of Westchester’s many farmers’ markets. (Sidebar: Most of you are not from New York State and may not be familiar with Westchester County – it’s the neighboring suburb of New York City).

In addition to recipes, each blog will spotlight a local market by providing photographs of the market and the available produce, as well as provide details on the market’s location and hours of operation. The objective is twofold – first, enjoy and share delicious recipes with fresh and healthy ingredients; and secondly, to support local sustainable farmers.

The following Westchester bloggers are participating in the week-long effort (click the links and check them out):

Chick in the Kitchen

Cooking in Westchester

Culinary Comments by Cinnamon Girl

Farmers Market Cooking

Small Bites

Somebody’s Mom

Sweet Paprika

Now on to this bowl of delicious Purple Potato-Cauliflower soup.

I saw this basket of purple potatoes at the Rye farmers’ market and as with limes from last week’s Key Lime Cream Cuplets, I just scoped them up without much thought. When I got the purple potatoes home, I still wasn’t sure what I was going to do with them. I mean, working with purple food is not an easy thing. I thought about roasting them but that seemed boring and I figured the color would get bleached out – which would defeat the entire purpose. That’s when the idea of a big, soothing bowl of purple soup came to mind (I know, I’m a tad strange).

So, soup it was. It’s a beautiful soup. The flavor is what you would expect from a potato soup – earthy, creamy and comforting. But the cauliflower adds a nice complex flavor that’s a little fuller than just the potatoes alone. With that said, this soup is all about the color. It’s definitely a statement. The color is unique, vibrant and striking – perfect for entertaining. It’s a little different but I say seize the day, throw caution to the wind and cook your heart out.

If you are by chance in the Rye, NY area here’s the scoop on the Rye Farmers Market: Location-Municipal parking lot #2, on Theodore Freund Ave. Times of Operation: Sunday, 8:30AM – 2PM from June-Mid November.

Enjoy!

PURPLE POTATO & CAULIFLOWER SOUP

half onion, diced

one garlic clove, minced

1 lb potatoes, large diced

½ lb cauliflower, diced

2 cups chicken stock (low sodium if using canned)

1 cup milk

½ cup heavy cream

Salt and pepper, to taste

Sautee onions in a medium saucepan over medium heat until they are translucent (about 8 minutes). Add garlic and sauté for additional minute – be careful not to burn garlic).

Add potatoes and cauliflower. Immediately stir in chicken stock. Simmer vegetables until the potatoes are cooked through (about 25 minutes). Stir in milk and cook for additional 10 minutes.

Remove from stove and blend with a handle-held immersion blender until soup is smooth. Stir in heavy cream and serve.

Makes about 4 cups.

Tagged as: Cauliflower, Cream, fall, Purple Potatoes