Gingered cauliflower soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon sunflower oil
- 25 g butter
- 1 onion roughly chopped
- 1 cauliflower cut into florets, woody core discarded, about 500 g (1 lb) when prepared
- 3.5 cm piece of fresh root ginger peeled and finely chopped
- 900 ml vegetable stock or chicken stock
- 300 ml milk
- 150 ml double cream
- salt and pepper
- Soy-glazed seeds
- 1 tablespoon sunflower oil
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
- 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds
- 2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
Instructions
- Heat the oil and butter in a saucepan, add the onion and fry for 5 minutes until softened but not coloured. Stir in the cauliflower florets and ginger, then the stock. Season with salt and pepper and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes until the cauliflower is just tender.
- Meanwhile, make the glazed seeds by heating the oil in a frying pan, add the seeds and cook for 2–3 minutes, stirring until lightly browned. Add the soy sauce, then quickly cover the pan with a lid until the seeds have stopped popping. Set aside until ready to serve.
- Purée the cooked soup in batches in a blender or food processor, then pour back into the saucepan and stir in the milk and half the cream. Bring just to the boil, then taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
- Ladle the soup into shallow bowls, drizzle over the rest of the cream and sprinkle with some of the glazed seeds, serving the remaining seeds in a small bowl for further sprinkling.
Notes / Tips / Wine Advice:
For creamy cauliflower & cashew soup, heat the oil and butter as above then add the chopped onion and 50 g (2 oz) cashew nuts and fry until the onions are softened and the nuts very lightly coloured. Mix in the cauliflower florets and stock as above, then season with salt, pepper and a little grated nutmeg. Simmer for 15 minutes. Purée and finish with milk and cream as above, ladle into bowls and garnish with 50 g (2 oz) cashew nuts fried in 15 g (½ oz) butter until pale golden, then cooked for 1–2 minutes more with 1 tablespoon honey until golden and caramelized.
