I bought a cauliflower for a dish I had in mind, but then the world caught up on me, and the cauli stayed there in the fridge. Right! It was a cold day, and I thought of a soup. What else did I have? A big piece of leek. I looked at a book or two, and put together this dish, which was well received by my salt-averse dining companion — and by me. I don’t think it needs salt anyway. I used salt-free stock, but any pale stock will do if salt is not a problem.
What you’ll need:
A big saucepan
A cauliflower head, minus the outer leaves and the stalk base
10cm of a fat leek, or the equivalent in onion (a big one)
1 tbsp of unsalted butter
Enough stock to cover
Pepper to taste
Method:
1. Slice the leek or onion, and gently sweat it in the butter.
2. Cut up the cauliflower, including the interior stalk, and add to the saucepan when the leek is translucent.
3. Add the stock, and cook until the cauliflower is soft. Blend.
4. Add a little milk if you would like the colour paler. Reheat.
4. For serving, prepare a mixture of chopped parsley, lemon zest and grated cheese, and drop on the top of the plated soup. Other possibilities are chopped green scallions, or paprika — anything that sharpens the taste of a soup that is subtle and smooth — always needed for a salt-averse diner.
5. Decide that this is excellent, and have some more!