First of all, Happy Canada Day! to my fellow Canadians. :-) It’s a gorgeous breezy and sunny day here in Vancouver. Sooo nice.

Ok, back to our regular programming…

It was overcast at some point last week and I can’t remember which day now because my head is still recovering from the sweltering heat the past few days. For that matter, this could very well be the last soup-craving this summer — whether here in Vancouver or (most especially) in Arizona. Adding alcohol to a dish was just a good excuse in my book to whip up some soup.

This is different from all the other soups I’ve made from scratch because of that hint of nutty sweetness from the oloroso. It took such little effort, just have a look at my no-brainer procedure.  As for the cauliflower, I broiled them in the oven to bring out its nice subtle flavor. That and the cheese bread added a nice crunch to this simple meal. And it’s not too heavy and not too light. Just right. Give it a try when you feel like warming up. :)

Sherry Mushroom-Tomato Soup with Broiled Cauliflower

• 3 cups coarsely chopped mushrooms
• 5 tbsps butter, divided
• 2 1/2 cup crushed tomatoes
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 2 tbsp each of shredded mozzarella and havarti cheese
• 1/4 cup oloroso sherry [I used Nutty Solera Oloroso from Gonzalez Byass]
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• a cup of cauliflower, cut into bite-size pieces
• ground pepper
• salt

For the soup:

1. Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in low-medium heat until it starts to brown. Toss in the mushrooms, sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes.

2. Stir in the crushed tomatoes and wait for it to boil. Add sherry and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Mix in the brown sugar. Add more according to your taste.

3. Add the milk and the two cheeses. Simmer for another 5 minutes. Don’t forget to stir to keep it from sticking at the bottom.

4. Lastly, dump the last tablespoon of butter once you turn off the heat.

Note: You can sautee chopped onions with the mushrooms to add flavor. I just ran out of them when I cooked this. Oops.

For the cauliflower:

1. Put your oven in Broil (high).

2. Place your cauliflower on a cookie sheet, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. You can toss them on the sheet for better coating, if you like.

3. Broil in the oven for 3-5 minutes. If you cut it in bigger chunks, go for 5 minutes.

For the bread: [Cheese used for this is not included in the list of ingredients above]

Spread a thin layer of butter on a slice of French bread, top with your favorite cheese (shredded). I used mozza and havarti for these as well. So yummy!