What do you do when you’re meal planning and you realise that you must have gotten distracted when the carrots were about to go in the trolley and carrot and coriander soup was one key thing that you were going to make?
Panic!
Luckily I had a spare cauliflower, some extra cream cheese, brie and a spare leek. I tend to keep some extra long life things like onions because, well, you never know when you might need an onion.
I had the idea of creating a creamy cauliflower soup. Originally I was going to use coconut milk, but thought my daughter would prefer it cheesy. If you wanted to make it vegan, just use the coconut milk in place of the cheese.
Here’s my recipe for a creamy cauliflower soup. The absolute key is that you don’t cook the cauliflower for too long because that’s when it goes sulphurous and bitter. Keep it on the harder side and you’ll be fine. Also blend it and let it cool a bit before adding the cheese. That way it won’t curdle. In terms of spices, add what you like best; mace, nutmeg, cinnamon, cumin, coriander and/or cayenne pepper for a bit of spice, would all work in this recipe. I would suggest not using too many green herbs in this recipe as it’s creamy and warming rather than fresh and zesty!
MDM’s Creamy Oniony and Cauliflower Soup
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 leek
- 1 pink onion (any large onion is fine, these just happened to be reduced in price in the supermarket at the time…)
- 3 tbsp vinegar (I used white wine)
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 head of cauliflower, chopped into florets
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 2 stock cubes with approx. 1L water (add more to make it a thinner soup and less if you prefer it thicker)
- small teaspoon of fresh parsley and thyme
- 70g cream cheese
- 50g brie or camembert
- Garnish of your choice e.g. crushed hemp seeds
- Warm the oil in a large saucepan. Slice the leek and onions and cook well until softened; about 5-10 minutes. Add the vinegar and sugar to caramelise for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the cauliflower, stock and cinnamon and cook for 8-9 minutes until the cauliflower is just cooked, or is still slightly hard. Do not overcook.
- Add the herbs, stir and switch off the heat.
- Blitz in a blender until smooth.
- Return to the pan and add the cheeses.
- Serve with a sprinkle of crushed hemp seeds, or seeds of your choice.
- Warm the oil in a large saucepan. Slice the leek and onions and cook well until softened; about 5-10 minutes. Add the vinegar and sugar to caramelise for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the cauliflower, stock and cinnamon and cook for 8-9 minutes until the cauliflower is just cooked, or is still slightly hard. Do not overcook.
- Add the herbs and switch off the heat.
- Blitz in a blender until smooth.
- Return to the pan and add the cheeses.
- Serve with a sprinkle of crushed hemp seeds, or seeds of your choice.
Croutons, crackers and breadsticks are all a great addition to this soup. My daughter had it with a ham and cream cheese cracker sandwich! My husband really liked the soup so that’s an approval from him! My daughter said she liked it but didn’t end up eating it sooo I suspect she wasn’t that fond; she said it was ‘too oniony’ and to give her full credit, it is quite oniony. For a 3.5 year old I was quite impressed at her understanding of the concept of ‘oniony’ given I didn’t think she knew what onions specifically tasted like. Maybe it’s because she spends so much time with me cooking in the kitchen. She’s going to be a great cook as she gets older; she already pretty much knows how to make bread, pancakes, cakes…There’s one important skill she has mastered and that’s trying food as you go along!
Note: I just asked her what she knows how to cook and she replied sweetcorn, peas and chicken…!
Anyway, if you’d prefer it less oniony, just use a small onion and maybe half a leek, or even omit one of these alliums entirely. You could make it up with a bit more cauliflower or perhaps a celeriac or parsnip for a slightly different flavour profile.
Inspired? Here’s a couple of other soups that I’ve made in the past:
Cashew Nut, Coconut Milk and Sweet Potato Soup with Crispy Skins
This smooth yet really filling soup is perfect for a cold winters day. It’s rich and thick and lightly spiced which is what you need to take the chill off a day spent outside. Although I have specified peeled sweet potato, feel free to add the skin in too. Alternatively use the sweet potato peelings to…
Curried Carrot, Parsnip and Orange Soup
This really tasty warming soup makes a great meal on its own. Plus make a large quantity and freeze it for easy lunches.
mydandelionmind.wordpress.com 