Jen has had quite a craving for cauliflower and broccoli ever since Ezra was born. There are only so many times I can pull out my Cream of Cauliflower, Cream of Broccoli and Cauliflower and Broccoli Gratin recipes, so my hand was forced to look elsewhere.
Where I ended up was with a very nice Cauliflower Soup with Roquefort. Below, I have included a picture taken just moments before it was rapidly demolished. I have also included the recipe for you to try at home.
Cauliflower Soup with Roquefort
Ingredients
1 decent-sized cauliflower
75 grams of Roquefort cheese, crumbled into small pieces (any other blue cheese should do the trick if you're struggling to find Roquefort
2 bay leaves
25 grams of butter
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
2 sticks celery, chopped
1 large leek, trimmed, washed and chopped
three largish potatos, peeled and diced (I used Dutch Creams)
2 tablespoons crème fraîche, plus a little extra to serve (I used sour cream)
salt and black pepper
To serve:
Chopped fresh chives
Method
The stock for this is easy. Trim the cauliflower into small florets and then take the stalk bits, including the green stems, and place these trimmings in a medium-sized saucepan. Then add 1.5 litres of water, the bay leaves and some salt, bring it up to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes with a lid.
Meanwhile, take another large saucepan with a well-fitting lid, melt the butter in it over a gentle heat, then add the onion, celery, leek and potato, cover and let the vegetables gently sweat for 15 minutes. Keep the heat very low, then, when the stock is ready, strain it into the pan to join the vegetables, adding the bay leaves as well but throwing out the rest. Now add the cauliflower florets, bring it all back up to simmering point and simmer very gently for 20-25 minutes, until the cauliflower is completely tender, this time without a lid.
After that, remove the bay leaves, then grab the Baymix and process until the soup is smooth and creamy. Next, stir in the crème fraîche (or sour cream) and cheese and keep stirring until the cheese has melted and the soup is hot. Check the seasoning, then serve garnished with a little more crème fraîche (or sour cream!) and the chives.
This is a seriously good soup, and for those of you in colder climes at the moment, you could do worse than whack on a batch RIGHT NOW. We have enough to last us a few servings now.
This got me thinking about where I get my recipes. I have heaps of books (both own and borrowed from the library), and the Internets has a whole world of options. Thus, I have to mention a new website (to me anyway) that I found mentioned on Slashfood.
It’s called Cookthink, and works on the premise that people often find yourself staring blankly at your refrigerator, knowing that you have got a bunch of stuff, but no idea how to put them together into something that is both appealing and satisfies your current cravings. I know this feeling and the Cookthink tool is designed to help pull separate ingredients and vague cravings together into something workable.
Seriously, with a new baby in the house, and often-cranky toddler at dinnertime, this could well compensate for my lack of creativity at the moment (which I am putting down to exhaustion). Have a look at it if you like time in the kitchen.
Where I ended up was with a very nice Cauliflower Soup with Roquefort. Below, I have included a picture taken just moments before it was rapidly demolished. I have also included the recipe for you to try at home.
Cauliflower Soup with Roquefort
Ingredients
1 decent-sized cauliflower
75 grams of Roquefort cheese, crumbled into small pieces (any other blue cheese should do the trick if you're struggling to find Roquefort
2 bay leaves
25 grams of butter
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
2 sticks celery, chopped
1 large leek, trimmed, washed and chopped
three largish potatos, peeled and diced (I used Dutch Creams)
2 tablespoons crème fraîche, plus a little extra to serve (I used sour cream)
salt and black pepper
To serve:
Chopped fresh chives
Method
The stock for this is easy. Trim the cauliflower into small florets and then take the stalk bits, including the green stems, and place these trimmings in a medium-sized saucepan. Then add 1.5 litres of water, the bay leaves and some salt, bring it up to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes with a lid.
Meanwhile, take another large saucepan with a well-fitting lid, melt the butter in it over a gentle heat, then add the onion, celery, leek and potato, cover and let the vegetables gently sweat for 15 minutes. Keep the heat very low, then, when the stock is ready, strain it into the pan to join the vegetables, adding the bay leaves as well but throwing out the rest. Now add the cauliflower florets, bring it all back up to simmering point and simmer very gently for 20-25 minutes, until the cauliflower is completely tender, this time without a lid.
After that, remove the bay leaves, then grab the Baymix and process until the soup is smooth and creamy. Next, stir in the crème fraîche (or sour cream) and cheese and keep stirring until the cheese has melted and the soup is hot. Check the seasoning, then serve garnished with a little more crème fraîche (or sour cream!) and the chives.
This is a seriously good soup, and for those of you in colder climes at the moment, you could do worse than whack on a batch RIGHT NOW. We have enough to last us a few servings now.
This got me thinking about where I get my recipes. I have heaps of books (both own and borrowed from the library), and the Internets has a whole world of options. Thus, I have to mention a new website (to me anyway) that I found mentioned on Slashfood.
It’s called Cookthink, and works on the premise that people often find yourself staring blankly at your refrigerator, knowing that you have got a bunch of stuff, but no idea how to put them together into something that is both appealing and satisfies your current cravings. I know this feeling and the Cookthink tool is designed to help pull separate ingredients and vague cravings together into something workable.
Seriously, with a new baby in the house, and often-cranky toddler at dinnertime, this could well compensate for my lack of creativity at the moment (which I am putting down to exhaustion). Have a look at it if you like time in the kitchen.
Comments
cuisine.com.au also has a recipe finder type thing but I find you need ingredients not readily at hand to make some of them.
Do you happen to have a recipe for courgette soup, too? We have a couple of massive courgettes from the garden that must be eaten soon and are probably best turned into something soupy.
We will definitely be trying this soup soon! Thanks for the recipe.
The Wife, there have been times that I've had zucchini's/courgette's coming out of my ears, and you know, I haven't moved past a good old zucchini bake or grilled zucchini. I am now on the lookout for a soup recipe too!
Jen, well, you only have to ask nicely...
Becky, it's well worth it. Ask Jen!
Dina, I love to cook. Made some very nice cheese and chive scones today in fact! I don't think I'd like it for a job though, just a hobby. It's a good thing to do after a long day at work.
Didn't care much for broccoli when I was young but that has changed. A few nice gratins had me converted.