Photo: sandrasalaskaphotographs / Flickr

Cauliflower soup is quick to make as it only requires 10 minutes of prep time and 20 minutes of cooking time. This recipe uses cauliflower, chicken stock, butter, flour, milk, nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste. You can add some crispy, crumbled fried bacon for serving and eat it as a meal with buttered toast or garlic bread fresh from the oven. If you don’t like cauliflower, you can substitute the recipe with some healthy broccoli, in which case flavour with cumin instead of nutmeg.

Ingredients

To serve six bowls of cauliflower soup, you will need the following ingredients: one firm cauliflower of medium size, 500 ml of chicken stock, 55 grams of butter, 45 ml of sifted flour, 500 ml of milk and some grated nutmeg for flavour.

Step one: cook the cauliflower

Wash the cauliflower and trim the stalk before cutting the florets into small pieces. Simmer the florets in a medium sized saucepan for about five minutes with the chicken stock. Cook the vegetable to the point of just cooked but still firm because overcooked cauliflower loses its flavour and can taste rather bitter.

Step two: make a roux

Drain the vegetable pieces, put the cauliflower into a dish and keep the stock. Place the butter into a clean saucepan and melt it over a low heat. Slowly add the flour while you stir, allowing the mixture to cook for about two minutes without browning it.

Step three: flavour and finish

Whisk the mixture as you begin to add the stock and milk. Continue to whisk until the sauce is smooth and then bring it to the boil, cooking and stirring for a further five minutes. Add the cooked cauliflower pieces and re-heat on a low heat, adding salt and pepper to taste. Add some grated nutmeg and cream for extra flavour.

You can make a smooth version of this soup by sifting it.

Tags: cooking, eating healthily, recipes, soup