When I went to the market last weekend, I found the biggest cauliflower head I think I’d seen. Knowing bigger isn’t always better, I still bought it to make a soup with Indian-inspired flavors.

It’s simple to make, very comforting on a chilly day and, most importantly, tastes like a million bucks.

Note that I made this soup with homemade chicken broth I had in the freezer, but it can easily be made with vegetable broth for a meatless version. I added carrots since I had some on hand and they add a nice sweet touch to the soup, but you could omit.

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1 medium Spanish onion, finely chopped
• 3 celery ribs, finely chopped
• 3 carrots, chopped
• 1 large cauliflower head, chopped into bite-size pieces
• 1 tsp. each salt & pepper
• ½ tsp. each turmeric, garlic powder and onion powder
• ¼ tsp. cumin and paprika
• 32 ounce container chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 cup heavy cream, optional

Directions:

1. In a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat, sauté the onion, celery and carrots for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the cauliflower and cook an additional 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Lower the heat to medium-low and add the seasonings and broth. Simmer, partially covered, for 45 minutes.
3. Add the cream, if using, and warm for 2 minutes.
4. Purée with an immersion blender until completely smooth, about 3 minutes. Alternatively, add the soup to a blender and puree until smooth, about 1 minute. Return the puréed soup to a clean saucepan and gently heat for 2 minutes.
5. To serve, ladle soup into bowls.

Serves 6 as a starter or 4 as a main course.