On these “colder” days we’ve been having in Sayulita, have you sometimes felt like the only thing you want to eat is a nice, warm soup along with a yummy bread? Well, last week that was exactly what I felt like making, and then I of course devoured it with delight! Roasted cauliflower and garlic soup with parmesan and a yummy cornbread with honey-butter hit the spot! I enjoyed it so much that I just had to share the recipe with you. You can then make and share this delicious al fresco lunch with your Sayulita friends and/or visitors. Why is it that so many friends love to come visit me in Sayulita? Is it because of my delicious food?  I love entertaining, so here are the recipes so that you can also enjoy them and entertain for your guests here in Sayulita.

INGREDIENTS FOR THE SOUP:

-1 head medium size cauliflower

-4 whole cloves garlic, peeled

-2 Tablespoons olive oil

-½ cup diced white onion

-⅛ teaspoon dried thyme or ½ teaspoon fresh thyme

-½ teaspoon dried rosemary or 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped

-4 cups chicken broth, homemade or in a tetra pack; look for low sodium

-½ cup milk or cream (*I used crema para batir that is available in many of our Sayulita tiendas)

TOPPINGS FOR THE SOUP:

-shaved or shredded parmesan cheese

-crisp bacon

-toasted hazelnuts, coarsely chopped

-fresh chopped, flat-leaf parsley

PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Trim cauliflower into bite sized pieces
2. Toss cauliflower and garlic cloves with 1 Tablespoon of the olive oil
3. Roast in oven at 400 degrees until cauliflower is crisp, tender, and golden in spots
4. Remove the garlic cloves and chop finely
5. In a soup-sized pot, sauté onions with remaining 1 Tablespoon olive oil
6. Add the chopped garlic, thyme, and rosemary, and sauté for 1 minute
7. Add cauliflower and broth; bring to a simmer, cover, and then cook for 15 minutes
8. Ladle ½ of the soup into a blender and purée until smooth. Be careful to only fill blender half way to prevent over-spillage
9. Add the cream and salt and pepper to taste
10. Ladle soup into bowls and sprinkle with the parmesan shavings, bacon, parsley, and hazelnuts
11. Drizzle with oil (*I love to use black truffle oil that I brought with me from Canada; but you can also use olive oil.)

INGREDIENTS FOR THE CORNBREAD:

-½ cup cornmeal or corn flour (*I found Bob’s Red Mill corn flour at Mega in Bucerias.)

-1 & ½ cups organic flour (*Check Terrenel in Sayulita, and if none there, Mega usually carries it. I realize that Organic flour is more expensive than regular but REMEMBER, regular flour is highly sprayed with pesticides to dry the kernels faster before harvest. I totally stopped using regular flour since a nutrition environmental professor gave me this information. He says if you don’t do anything organic, please make an exception for flour and ONLY use organic!)

-¼ cup sugar

-1 Tablespoon baking powder

-½ teaspoon salt

-⅓ cup avocado oil

-3 Tablespoons melted butter

-2 eggs, beaten

-1 & ¼ cups milk or cream

PREPARATION:

1. Add all dry ingredients to a bowl and make a well in the center
2. Add butter, oil, eggs, and cream into the well
3. Stir until just mixed; this is a loose runny batter
4. Bake in 8” square pan at 350 degrees for 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS & PREPARATION FOR THE HONEY BUTTER:

-1 stick of very soft butter at room temperature

-¼ cup honey, or more to taste

-Whip together, and then slather butter over the cornbread

I KNOW that you will love this light and delicious meal as much as I did!

Individual Chocolate Lava Cakes are next on my agenda. It is my husband’s birthday this week and he LOVES when I experiment on recipes for him. Thus, Chocolate Lava Birthday Cakes it is!

I am available for catering appetizers and fancy desserts. You can reach me at my web-page LIVE, LOVE, & EAT IN SAYULITA for orders, comments or questions. I love to hear from you!

*Written by: Karina Shecter