Cauliflower is such an underrated vegetable. Much like brussels sprouts, it gets a bad wrap as being 'smelly' (a trait of the cabbage family of veg) but again like brussels sprouts, cauliflower comes alive when it is roasted. The caramalisation by tarnishing the edges adds a sweetness and savouriness at the same time that brings so much flavour to this soup. Made in a cinch, its a quick, healthy mid-week meal that actually has no meat and no heavy starch- if you omit the bread!
I don't cook for my kids anymore. That sounds bad, but it's true. Gone are the days of cooking separate meals for adults and children. I cook one family meal a night, a meal that I want to cook, and if they choose to eat it, great, and if they choose not to, then that's also their choice. I have no problem sending my boys to bed without dinner if they choose not to eat it! #Idonotnegotiatewithterrorists. With that in mind, when I saw that cauliflower was on special for $1.90 per head at the supermarket I grabbed it thinking they will never eat this but it's so cheap! #thriftymum. I knew I was going to roast up this $1.90 bad boy and make it into a soup but I had to come up with a plan to make it more exciting and appealing to Mr 2yrs and Mr 4yrs. I had visions of a soup topped with lashings of crispy bacon, shaved parmigano reggiano and cheesy garlic bread soldier 'dippers'.
“Imagine my surprise when I blended the roasted cauliflower with very basic pantry ingredients: onion, garlic, chicken stock, and it tasted amazing. The soup doesn't need any of those jazzy extras. The roasted cauliflower brings all the flavour you need. The kids love it too. Whenever I cook this soup everyone has second and third servings.”
Having growing boys in the house, there is one extra I do have to serve with any soup, and that is bread. I like making cheesy garlic bread: flat bread with garlic butter, parsley and melted cheese; but any will do. This method of roasting in the oven then blending into a soup works really well with pumpkin as well. Takes about the same amount of time so you could even do a mix of vegetables if you wanted.
Roasted Cauliflower Soup an original recipe by Kimberley Kells
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Serves: 3 Adults or 2 Adults and 2 Kids
1 Head of Cauliflower, cut into florets
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Brown Onion, diced
3 Cloves of Garlic, diced
800mL of Chicken Stock (to make this completely vegetarian, replace with vegetable stock)
2 Tablespoons of Thickened Cream (to make this vegan, replace with extra virgin olive oil)
1 Pinch of Nutmeg
Squeeze of Lemon
Parsley, chopped for garnish
Drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, for garnish
Step 1- Toss the cauliflower florets in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and a generous seasoning of salt and pepper on a lined baking tray. Roast at 200c for 20 minutes, tossing half way. Remove.
Step 2- Meanwhile, use a large pot to saute the onion in the remaining olive oil until soft and translucent, then add the garlic and saute for a further minute.
Step 3- Choose 3 of the best looking roasted cauliflower florets and set aside for garnish (if you're so inclined) and add the rest of the florets to the pot and top with chicken stock, or enough to cover.
Step 4- Using a stick blender, whiz the soup until very smooth and velvety.
Step 5- Stir through the cream, nutmeg and lemon. Taste and add more salt and pepper as needed.
Step 6- Serve in bowls topped with chopped parsley, the reserved cauliflower florets and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.