Cauliflower & Chard Soup With Chorizo & Crispy Potatoes

Last week I had a head of cauliflower, green onions, and a small bunch of Swiss chard leftover from my CSA box. The days got away from me before I'd be able to use them - so I cut everything up, threw it all in a freezer bag, and put it away for the weekend since I was heading out of town.

Yesterday, I took everything out to thaw, and then I got to cookin'.

I was watching Food Network early last week and saw an episode of "Giada at Home." It was quite timely because she made a cauliflower soup!

I modified her recipe a bit, but here is hers (click on this link for the whole recipe), and I'll tell you how I changed it using what I had instead:

Cauliflower Soup (with Bacon and Croutons) from Giada DeLaurentiis            

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature 
• 2 ribs celery, chopped to yield 3/4 cup
• 1 large or 2 small shallots, thinly sliced (I used 3 green onions, chopped)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme (I used dried, ground thyme)
• 1 head cauliflower (1 1/2 pounds), cut into 1-inch pieces
• *I added about a cup and a half of chopped Swiss chard
• 
  
• In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the celery, shallots, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and cook until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Stir in the chicken broth, thyme and cauliflower. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook until the vegetables are tender, 20 to 25 minutes.
  In batches, puree the soup in a food processor or with a blender until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Cool the soup to room temperature, then refrigerate until ready to serve, at least 2 hours.
  Ladle the chilled soup into bowls and garnish with the croutons and bacon. 
  I served mine hot, and in place of the bacon and croutons, I added chorizo and sliced fingerling potatoes sauteed in olive oil, salt and pepper. I had the chorizo in the freezer and the potatoes came in my farm box. Gotta use whatcha got!
  It was a delicious, satisfying fall meal. It actually tasted a lot like broccoli soup...so you could use broccoli instead of cauliflower too! Enjoy!