We’ve been making a soup most weeks. This one is from The Christmas Chronicles by Nigel Slater. Suitably seasonal.
Cauliflower and leek soup with toasted cheese – serves 4
- 3 medium leeks, discard the coarse part of green leaves and roughly chop
- 30g butter
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1kg cauliflower, trimmed and thickly sliced
- 1 litre vegetable stock (we use Marigold Swiss Bouillon powder)
- 2 bay leaves
- 10g parsley leaves
- 4 slices of sourdough bread
- 100g of cheese, something that will melt, we used Gruyére
Warm the butter with the olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the leeks and cover, then cook over a low heat, until the leeks are soft but not browned.
Add the cauliflower to the softened leeks. Stir briefly, then add the stock and bring to the boil. Add the bay leaves and a little salt, then lower the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until soft.
Process half the soup in a blender until very smooth. Add a handful of the parsley to the rest of the soup and blend this batch to a thick, rough texture. Mix the two together and season with salt and black pepper.
Spread sourdough with a little butter or oil and toast under a hot grill. Turn the bread over and cover the other side with thick slices of cheese, then return to the grill until melted. Divide the soup between bowls and float the cheesy toasts on top.
(Original recipe from The Christmas Chronicles by Nigel Slater, Fourth Estate, 2017)
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