Cauliflower Soup

Last night I made a variation of Delia Smith's Cauliflower & Roquefort soup, what with it being dark & wintry outside.

Ingredients: 1 cauliflower, 2oz Roquefort, 2 bay leaves, 1oz butter, 1 onion, 2 sticks celery, 1 leek, 4oz potato, 2 tablespoons creme fraiche, 1 tablespoon fresh chives, salt & pepper.

I used Cheddar instead of Roquefort, and didn't have any creme fraiche, so I just omitted it, and used grated nutmeg instead of the chives. I know the creme fraiche would have made the soup creamier, but it wasn't going to radically alter the taste. The nutmeg worked well (as ever with cheesy food) in place of the chives. These quantities serve 4-6.

Method: Chop all the veg. Make the stock- simmer (20 mins with lid) all the trimmings from the cauli (not the actual florets) with a little salt & the bay leaves.

Meanwhile, gently melt the butter, adding the onion, celery, leek & potato, in another pan, and cover & allow to sweat for 15 mins.

Back to the stock pan- transfer the bay leaves to the veg pan (I dropped mine on the floor when trying to do that, so they ended up in the bin!). Discard all the trimmings, and add the stock to the veg. Add the cauliflower florets too, and simmer gently 25 mins, without the lid now. Throw out the bay leaves, if they made it this far, and blend the soup with a blender.

Return the blended soup to the pan, stir in the cheese & creme fraiche, and stir gently 'til melted. Add chives & seasoning, & serve in hot bowls.

I'd give the version I made last night 8/10. I've made it once before, but with a different stock. Instead of using cauli trimmings, I binned them and just made a quick veg stock with Marigold Swiss Vegetable Bouillon powder, which I actually preferred- it gave the soup an extra level of taste- 10/10. Either way, simple and tasty!