Cooking is, in almost every way, magic. Every day, we trot into our kitchens with an idea and a few tricks up our sleeve, transforming ingredients and conjuring wholly new creations in the process.
Recipes, then, are little spells, road maps to transcendent deliciousness. Only with a recipe can you turn just three ingredients into an awe-inspiring roasted cauliflower and garlic soup, as Ali Slagle does with her latest addition to the New York Times Cooking database.
Ali is well aware of the magical properties of her own work: “This three-ingredient vegan soup isn’t a trick,” she notes at the top of her recipe. She coaxes optimal caramelization and tenderness out of a head of cauliflower and a head of garlic by roasting them at high heat, forming the base of the soup’s sweet-savory flavor and silky texture. All you need to create exceptional flavor here is heat, water and time. (OK, and an immersion blender. Even Merlin needs his staff.)
Roasted Cauliflower and Garlic Soup
This less-is-more sorcery is at play in Eric Kim’s new single-serving recipe for peanut butter noodles as well. Peanut butter, Parmesan, butter and soy sauce team up for a glitzy and glossy sauce that cloaks spaghetti or packaged instant ramen. And you can absolutely work your vegan magic by using nutritional yeast and olive oil in place of the Parm and butter.
