We make a different pot of soup every day and this one is definitely a favourite, especially on a wintery day. It’s really comforting and feels like a treat but it’s super easy to make. Lots of flavour with a few good ingredients and minimal effort. What’s not to like?
You’ll need:
A big pot and a stick blender. If you don’t have a stick blender, a potato masher and a little patience will do instead!
3 small OR 2 large heads of cauliflower.
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons or so of olive oil, or veg oil if you don’t have it
200mls double cream (or full fat milk if you don’t have any)
300g grated cheddar
2 litres veg stock
Salt and Pepper
This is what you do:
Roughly chop the onion, garlic and one of the heads of cauliflower (cut out the stalk first). If you have a blender then you really don’t need to be precise about the chopping as it will all get blitzed, but if you don’t, take some time to chop the onion and garlic finely.
Heat the oil in a big pan and fry the chopped veg until soft and coloured a bit. You don’t want the garlic to burn, so keep the heat low and do it slowly. Then add the rest of the cauliflower and the cream or milk and boil for around 5 mintutes until the liquid thickens.
Add enough hot vegetable stock to just cover the veg (see handy hints) and simmer for about 30 mins. Add almost all of the cheese and blend till smooth. Of you don’t have a blender them mash the veg as well as you can then add the cheese and stir until melted. This is the stage to check the consistency and add more hot stock if you need it. Have a wee taste then add seasoning if it needs it.
Serve with a wee bit of grated cheese on the top.
Handy Hints:
Milk will work well instead of cream, but this is a rich, indulgent, special occasion (not every day!) sort of soup so it really is worth getting the cream for this recipe.
Don’t worry if it looks a wee bit separated before you blitz it. It will all come together, I promise!
Don’t season until after you’ve added the cheese. You may not need the salt.
It’s hard to be precise about the amount of stock as it really does depend on the size of the cauliflower and how thick you like your soup! Add enough to just cover the cauliflower as you can always add more if you need it. This soup suits being thick and hearty.
Mature cheddar is best here as you really want to taste the cheese.
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