Roasted Cauliflower and Blue Cheese Soup

Roasted cauliflower and blue cheese are the perfect partners in this elegant soup. With it being early winter and cauliflowers both plentiful and “cheap”, if you like the sound of this combo, you’ll love the soup – the roasting of the cauliflower with onions and garlic adds good flavour with the onions slightly caramelising the cauliflower. The chilli kick is great but you can leave it out if you don’t particularly enjoy chilli

This soup is perfect for winter weekend lunches, as a simple dinner with crusty bread and a simple green salad or as an entrée for a dinner party…so many options!!

Ingredients  

1 medium head cauliflower, cut into florets
3 garlic cloves, finely diced
1 medium onion, finely diced
2 tbs flat leaf (Italian) parsley, coarsely chopped
1 tsp chilli flakes (optional)
1 leek, finely sliced
1 litre vegetable stock
80 to 100 grams blue cheese (I like using a creamy blue)
Olive oil
Sea salt and cracked black pepper
Your favourite crusty bread such as a nice baguette

Cooking instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 200°
2. Place the cauliflower florets together with the onion and garlic in an oven-proof dish, toss with a generous drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Roast for 45 minutes until tender and the tips are browned.
3. Take a large saucepan and add a little oil – on a low-medium heat, gently cook the leek for around 10 minutes
4. After the cauliflower has been roasted, remove from the oven and add it (with the onions and garlic) to the leek
5. Add the stock, bring to the boil and then simmer for 10 minutes
6. Remove from the heat. Crumble the blue cheese into the soup and use a hand blender to puree until silky smooth. Season to taste. Garnish with the parsley

 If you want the soup even tastier, you could fry off some rashes of streaky bacon, break into small pieces and add with the parsley

Serves 4