Smooth, fluffy, light and creamy without the dairy cream, this soup is world class. If you are going to make a cauliflower soup, I highly recommend that you start by roasting the cauliflower in your oven. Roasting it brings out those nutty, savoury and caramelised flavours in the vegetable. For an extra creamy soup, I also recommend that you purée the soup in a stand up blender instead of using a handheld or immersion type.

And yes, cauliflower is very good for you! It’s packed with vitamins, minerals and fibre. It’s particularly high in Vitamin C — so bring on that immune-boosting cauliflower during these unsettling COVID times!

As with other cruciferous vegetables, cauliflower is also a great source of antioxidants. If you can’t get yourself to eating it steamed, raw or boiled, then think about roasting an entire head and turning it into a delicious creamy soup, like this one!

Enjoy!

Roasted cauliflower soup

INGREDIENTS

• Extra virgin olive oil or vegetable oil for sautéing & roasting
• 1 full cauliflower head (about 600 grams), roughly chopped in florets & roasted
• 2 cups celery, chopped (I use the light green inner ribs. Can also use white parts of leeks or a mix of celery and leeks)
• 1 white cooking onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, grated
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme (or rosemary)
• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika*
• 8 cups vegetable broth, homemade or a good quality store-bought kind (I always prefer homemade)
• 1/3 cup almond slivers (no skins), toasted on stove top for a few minutes
• Sea salt & pepper, to taste
• Garnish options: fresh herbs or micro-greens of choice, drizzle of olive oil, roasted cauliflower florets

* Note:  If you don’t have smoked paprika, can use regular paprika and add ¼ teaspoon ground cumin.

PROCEDURE

Oven: 220°C (standard) 200°C (fan)

1 large baking sheet lined with parchment

Serves 4-6

Roughly chop the cauliflower head into florets and rinse them out in a sieve under cold running tap water. Transfer into a big bowl and drizzle with about 2 tbsps of oil. Toss the florets until they are evenly coated with oil. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to the baking sheet and spread out the florets. Roast in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until the edges of the florets are brown. When done, take out and set aside on countertop.

While cauliflower roasts, toast the almonds on stovetop in a small dry pan, tossing and turning them on medium-high for several minutes, until golden. Transfer toasted almonds in small bowl and set aside.

Prepare and chop all other ingredients.

Heat up a big soup pot with 3 tbsps of oil. Sauté the celery, onion and garlic with a pinch of salt until soft, about 3 minutes. Can add a few tbsps of water to prevent sticking. Add the roasted cauliflower florets, thyme, paprika and toss and cook for another 2 minutes.

Mix in the vegetable broth and almond slivers. Bring the soup to a boil. Immediately reduce the heat, cover and allow to simmer gently for 20 minutes, until the cauliflower is very soft. Stir this occasionally.

Transfer the soup into a stand-up blender (do this in batches if your blender bowl is small). For a creamy soup, I recommend blending in a stand up blender as opposed to a handheld or immersion type.

Blend until creamy then pour the purée back into the soup pot. On low heat, bring to a gentle simmer for a few minutes, adjust salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and let stand covered for 15 minutes before serving. Serve and garnish as desired. Tastes great the next day and the day after that. Store in a covered container in fridge.

Enjoy!