Roasted Cauliflower Soup

3/8/2016

Haven't had soup in a while and it's still the season for piping hot soups. So, soup it is today.

I hardly ever have cauliflower and I don't really know why. I really love the flavour, it's nutritious, easy and versatile to cook and cheap. Well, cheap where we live in El Puerto. Off on a tangent of food prices for just a second. I was recently reading a news article of fresh produce prices in Canada and how they have sky rocketed for many different reasons. A cauliflower was priced at $10 in Newfoundland! What? Not too sure you would be making this soup at this price. This cauliflower cost me 1€ today, add in some consumables, a few strips of bacon, and you got a pretty affordable soup. Every time I go shopping here I am reminded of how fortunate we are to live in a place of affordable and locally grown fresh produce. So, today I am embracing Spain for all it has to offer. Being thankful today for soup.

I topped this soup with crispy bacon crumbs. You could easily omit this part or use an Italian or Spanish ham in it's place. All would be equally delicious.

A bowl of nutritious goodness. Now, where is that cheesecake?

This soup gets a bit of a kick from ginger and a little bit of chilli. If you prefer softer soups, you could just omit these ingredients. I am all about substitution, omission, and anything else when it comes to building and creating recipes. Try what works for you. Remember, recipes are a partially created canvas for you to finish off in your own creative style.

Roasted Cauliflower Soup

Serves 4 / Prep time: 15 minutes / Cook time: 50 minutes

Ingredients

1 Cauliflower, cut into florets
1 Leek, trimmed and cut into thin slices
4 Garlic cloves, crushed
1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 dried chilli, finely chopped
2 bay leaves
4 1/4 Cups/1 litre vegetables stock
1 Teaspoon sea salt
1/2 Teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
2 Tablespoons olive oil
4-6 Strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
Small bunch of fresh chopped parsley

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Put the cauliflower on a large roasting tray and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Roast for 30 minutes.

In a large stainless steel pot set over medium high heat, add remaining olive oil, garlic, ginger, chilli and leeks. Give a good stir and leave to cook for 8-10 minutes. Add stock and bay leaves along with roasted cauliflower. Cover, reduce heat to low and leave to simmer for abut 15 more minutes.

Remove from heat and blend in batches. Return to pot and bring to a gentle simmer for a minute. Remove from heat and serve hot topped with crumbled bacon and chopped parsley. Delicious!

Click the downloadable link below to print recipe!