It has been a while since I have made a Soup for the blog, so here we are, roasted cauliflower and leek soup. A very comforting dish but with light, subtle ingredients. And that is why I roasted the cauliflower first instead of just boiling it. I wanted to try and achieve another dynamic of flavour and to see how a different cooking method can affect the final result. I found that roasting the 2 main ingredients gave the soup a slightly stronger depth in flavour.
“You don’t need meat every day of the week”. Something I keep reminding myself of, which is why I made this dish vegetarian. I also need to start making vegan dishes as well, but it’s a bit tricky for me as it is not something I often do. But I do have some ideas in store. What about you guys though? Do you have meat every day of the week? Do you try to have it in moderation? I personally believe that we should try to be more mindful of the fact that it isn’t always necessary. For example, if you have a soup like this for dinner with a nice loaf of bread and butter for dunking, you don’t really need more than that.
Oh, and I actually included a bouquet garni in this recipe. If you don’t know what the heck that is, it’s when you tie a bunch of herbs and aromatics together. Then you add it to soups and sauces while they boil or simmer. It was one of the first things I learnt in chef school. I always thought it was a bit of a cheffy and pedantic technique for home cooking. But the reason I included it in this recipe, was because I wanted to enhance the flavour of the stock to have a stronger flavour base for the soup. So there is a technique for you to keep in mind.
Thank so much for checking out this post. And subscribe to stay updated for much more recipes to come. Next week, I will be posting an Asian meatball sub recipe. So I hope ya’ll enjoy that.
- 2 liters of vegetable stock
- A sprig of rosemary
- 2-3 sprigs of thyme
- 2 bay leafs
- Half an onion peeled
- 750g of cauliflower florets cut into thick dices
- 2 leeks halved length ways, washed (don't forget to wash the inside layers), the cur into thick slices
- 1 garlic clove
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- Salt and pepper for seasoning
- 1 cup of milk
- 2-3 loafs of white bread cut into small cubes
- 1 bunch of mint leaves washed
- A handful of basil leaves shredded for garnish
- Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
- Put the stock in a large pot. Get a bit of string, then firmly tie the rosemary, thyme, bay leaves and onion together and add to the pot. Start heating the stock up on the lowest heat possible. The onion and the herbs will slowly infuse in the stock.
- Line a baking tray with baking paper. Put the Cauliflower, leeks, your garlic clove, half of your olive oil and a good pinch of salt and pepper in a large bowl. Mix together until all the ingredients get coated evenly in the olive oil, then put them on the tray. Make sure everything is spread out evenly, if it is all piled on top of one another, the ingredients will steam rather than roast. Cook on the oven for 30-35 minutes.
- Once your cauliflower, leeks and garlic have been roasted, it's time to take the tied up aromatics out of the stock. Take your roasted garlic clove, remove the skin and put the flesh in a blender, along with your cauliflower, leeks, milk, mint leaves and ladle in about half of your stock as well. Blend for 1-2 minutes until smooth, then add to the pot with the rest of the stock and mix through. Alternatively, you could just put those ingredients in with the stock and use a hand blender.
- Bring the soup to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat down and simmer for 10-15 minutes stirring occasionally.
- Meanwhile, get a frying pan on medium heat, then add your olive oil. Make sure the oil is nice and hot before adding the bread, otherwise you can end up with soggy and oily croutons. Add the bread and fry for about 5 minutes turning every so often in the pan. Once the croutons develop a nice golden brown colour, add a good pinch of salt, then turn the heat off.
- Once the soup is done, serve in appropriate bowls, then garnish with the croutons and shredded basil. Enjoy!
If your looking for a soup that is a bit more filling than this roasted cauliflower and leek soup: http://www.blogtasticfood.com/minestrone-soup/
The post Vegetarian Roasted Cauliflower and Leek Soup appeared first on Blogtastic Food.
