Yesterday, I made my usual chicken stock using 5 chicken carcasses, 1 kg of chicken necks, 2 onions, 2 carrot, 1 leek, 2 celery, 2 bay leaves, 10 black peppercorns, 1 tbsp dried thyme, 10 parsley stalks, covered with plenty of water and slowly brought to the simmer and continued with a lazy bubble, what a call a ‘blurp, blurp, blurp’ for about 14 hours. I skimmed any foam from the surface until there was just this golden, crystal clear liquid gold blurping away on top of the stove. This morning, I used this sensational stock to make this flavoursome cauliflower soup.
It was supposed to be just cauliflower, onion, garlic, celery and blue cheese, but instead I added more vegetables, and some herbs and spices making it a ‘Vegetable Soup.’ I added some cream and seasoned it well with sea salt and cracked black pepper. Michael loved it so much, he asked me to save what I did….so I am adding it to my Recipe Collection here to make on another cold winter’s day. We could have also added a dollop of my Broccoli Pesto or a sprinkling of my Dukkah.
I know it is popular to make soup at the end of the week with all your week-old vegetables from the bottom of the fridge. And, I do think that is a great idea instead of wasting them. However, it is really best and most nutritious to cook with your fresh, good quality vegetables, for the best results. Plus, of course to use a great stock.
Serves 4 – 6
| Ingredients | |
| 25 g butter 30ml olive oil 2 onions, chopped 2 carrots, chopped 2 sticks celery sliced 1/2 cauliflower, chopped |
1 tsp each cumin, dried parsley and thyme 1 long green chilli 1.5 L chicken stock, or enough to cover the vegetables 250ml cream Garnish A swirl of cream Some freshly chopped chives |
Prepare the vegetables; chop them into small to medium dice. Cook the onions in the butter and oil for 5 – 8 minutes until caramelised and golden, do not burn. Add the carrots, celery and cauliflower. Stir around and cook for 8 – 10 minutes without letting the vegetables brown.
Add the cumin, then the herbs, and chilli and cook a few minutes to cook the cumin and to develop the flavours.
Pour in the chicken stock, and bring to a simmer and cook for 30 – 45 minutes until all the vegetables are well cooked. Add some cracked pepper.
Purée with a stick blender, food processor or vitamiser until smooth. Add the cream and season well.
Serve with the swirl of cream and finely chopped chives.
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- Sweating the onions, carrots and celery…
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- and all the vegetables, spices and herbs
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- Finished soup with the swirl of cream; would have been nice with chopped chives
