Soup weather is setting in.  This creamy vegetable soup carries delicate hints of ginger with the slightly sweet tang of autumn apples.

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 diced Yellow Onion
• 3 sliced cloves of Garlic
• 2 diced stalks of Celery
• a 2″ sliced chunk of peeled Ginger Root
• 1 Cayenne Pepper (seeds removed) (if you do not have a fresh cayenne pepper on hand you can use 1/4 tsp powdered cayenne)
• 2-4 Apples (peeled, cored, and sliced)
• 1 segmented head of Cauliflower
• 4 cups of Chicken Broth (vegetable broth for vegetarian rendition)
• 2 cups Water
• 1/4 tsp ground White Pepper
• Salt for seasoning
• Garnish with toasted walnuts and thinly sliced prosciutto

Directions:

1. Heat up the olive oil in the bottom of a large soup pot or dutch oven.
2. Place the onions, garlic, celery, ginger, and cayenne, and allow them to cook for about 5 minutes, stirring them occasionally.
3. Add the cauliflower and apples into the pot.
4. Pour in the broth and water.  (I make my chicken broth fairly strong so it does not hurt to dilute it, but if you are working with a weaker broth omit the water in exchange for more broth)
5. Add in the white pepper and season with salt.
6. Cover the pot with a lid, and bring it to a boil.
7. Continue to cook the soup until the cauliflower softens. (~30 minutes)
8. Allow the soup to cool slightly before transferring it to a blender.  I will sometimes cook my soup in the morning, and let it rest for the day in the refrigerator, that evening I will pull it out, blend it, and then reheat it.  This is also a great soup to serve cold.
9. Blend the soup until smooth.
10. Pour the soup back into the soup pot to reheat, season, and then serve with toasted walnuts and prosciutto.