Friday, March 23, 2007

Roasted Cauliflower & Blue Cheese Soup

A while ago, I made this cauliflower/blue cheese soup that turned out really well. I didn't blog about it because it was too dark to take pictures and there weren't enough leftovers to do it justice afterwards. (I guess I could have photographed it in a spoon or something. How come I never come up with these genius ideas when they're needed??)

Roasted Cauliflower & Blue Cheese Soup

Anyway, then I read about Anne's roasted cauliflower soup, remembered that roasting makes cauliflower the Best Thing Ever, and decided to do things a bit differently this time. (Unfortunately "differently" also involved a bad burn on my hand. Boo! But not so bad as to mar my enjoyment of this fabulous soup.)

If you're not into blue cheese, 1) you may like this anyway, although 2) it'll probably be fine even without it, as there's rather a lot going on: roasted cauliflower and garlic, and dashes of sherry, nutmeg and worcestershire sauce (I can never tell if I've spelled that right) adding a bit of depth. I personally really like it with a base of chicken stock and thickened with a roux, but switch to vegetable stock and throw in a potato or two to thicken things up if you're looking for something more healthy and/or vegetarian.

Roasted Cauliflower & Blue Cheese Soup


Roasted Cauliflower & Blue Cheese Soup
2 heads cauliflower, about 1200 g total (2½ lb)
4 smallish onions
3 stalks celery
8 cloves roasted garlic*
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
1 l chicken stock (4 cups)
200 ml light cream (needs to be the kind that doesn't separate from heat, over here we have something called "food cream") or non-nonfat milk
4 tbsp dry sherry
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
100 g (3½ oz) blue cheese, crumbled
white pepper (and salt, at least if you're not using the cheese) to taste

*I roast several whole heads of garlic wrapped in foil (in a low heat) until very very soft, then press out the innards, mush them up, and put them in an ice cube tray that I pop in the freezer. Once the garlic cubes are frozen solid, I transfer them to a ziploc bag. After which I just throw in a frozen cube of soft-flavored garlicky goodness into whatever stew-type thing I'm making.

Cut the cauliflower into florets, toss in a bit of olive oil and spread out in a large pan. Peel the celery (I find this cuts the harsh taste some people dislike) and chop them fairly finely. Cut the onion into chunks. Toss onion and celery (+ garlic if you don't have pre-roasted) with a bit of olive oil and wrap in foil.

Roast both cauliflower and onions at 175°C/350°F until the cauliflower's soft and slightly browned, stirring a few times so it doesn't stick too badly. (If possible, avoid burning your hand in the process. Ouch.)

Once the cauliflower is ready, melt the butter in a large pan until it's all bubbly. Add the flour and stir for a few minutes, then add, still stirring, cauliflowers, onions and garlic and (hot) chicken stock. Season with sherry, worcestershire sauce and nutmeg, cover, and let simmer for about 20 minutes. Puree in a blender (in batches) until very smooth, then return to the pan and add cream/milk and cheese. Stir on a low heat until the cheese has melted. Check the taste and add pepper and salt if needed.

Roasted Cauliflower & Blue Cheese Soup

7 comments:

Rachel said...

i love cauliflower soup!

Monkey Wrangler said...

Mmmmmm, chunky cheesy soup, the color of blue dabbled in a cauliflower cloud. Looks great!

Pille said...

I'm sure I'd love this one, as I really enjoyed roasted cauliflower. Soon, maybe:)

Mia said...

Rachel, I've usually had it fairly plain or with a sharp cheese, and those don't really do it for me. But with some sherry and blue cheese... yum!

Monkey Wrangler, thanks! Not to knock the cheese or anything, as it did do its thing here, but next time I make it, I'll try it with just the sherry, just to see how it is. (Plus I sometimes have heretic blue cheese haters at my table.)

Pille, roasted cauliflower is so insanely wonderful. I really shouldn't keep forgetting that.

Peabody said...

I bet this is tasty.
I encourage any of your reader to make it with the blue cheese even if they don't like blue cheese. I make a roasted onion and gorgonzola soup and no one can tell what the flavor is and all the blue cheese haters love it.

viagra online said...

A friend of mine knows how to cook Blue cheese soup, and he says it is perfect when we are sick or when it is very cold

Health News said...

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