Cream of Cauliflower Soup

• 500 g cauliflower, florets and chopped stalk
• 1 tbsp avocado oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• 75 g onion, sliced
• 10 g garlic cloves
• 1/2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 low-sodium vegetable stock cube
• about 500 ml water, enough to cover
• 100 ml heavy (double) cream
• salt to taste (about 2/3 tsp)
• crumbled aged cheese, such as a mild blue (optional)
• 1 hazelnut per bowl, finely grated (or other nuts), to serve (optional)
• chopped fresh parsley, to serve

Method

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1. Cut the florets off the cauliflower and chop the trimmed stalk too, so none goes to waste. 1:08
2. Warm the avocado oil and butter in a heavy pot and cook the onion for a few minutes until soft and translucent. 1:45
3. Turn the heat up, add the cauliflower and let it brown in places. Add the garlic, thyme, crumbled stock cube, nutmeg and pepper and keep cooking 3–4 minutes until the bottom of the pot colours. 2:37
4. Pour in about 500 ml water, just enough to cover, scrape up the browned bits, then cover and simmer 10–15 minutes until the cauliflower is very tender. 3:46
5. Blend until smooth, then push through a sieve for a silky texture. Return to the pot over low heat and stir in the cream; season with salt and pepper. 4:27
6. Crumble in the cheese if using, and serve topped with cracked black pepper, a little grated hazelnut and parsley. 6:22

Tip. For a dairy-free version, use avocado oil instead of the butter and coconut cream instead of the cream, and skip the cheese. Freezes well before the cream goes in. Thin with water or stock if too thick on reheating.

The method is a summary in our words — the video shows every step.