Because of my ongoing quest for soup recipes, and because of my newly acquired blender I have been searching for more puréed soup recipes. The ingredients are really simple, so in my opinion the success of this recipe depends largely on using a quality broth. I used my homemade chicken stock, but you could use a flavourful vegetable one to make it a vegan recipe. I make up a big batch of stock, then freeze it in portions to use in future soup recipes. A bit of work to do ahead of time, but it’s really handy and makes better soups.
I found this recipe on freshtart.com, and I made two changes: I cut the amount of oil in half (1 tablespoon per portion is too much for me), and I didn’t serve it with the fried shrimp on top, although this sounds yummy.
Serves 4
What you need:
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large leek, washed and thinly sliced
- 2 heaping cups cauliflower florets
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 3 cups chicken broth (homemade is always best)
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 generous handfuls of spinach
- 2 tablespoons chives, minced
- juice of 1 lemon
- sea salt to taste
What you do:
- Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan, add the leek to it and sauté for 5 minutes.
- Add the cauliflower and garlic and sauté for 5 more minutes.
- Add the chicken broth and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until the cauliflower is very soft. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Remove the bay leaf.
- Place the spinach and chives in the blender, then add the cauliflower and broth and purée until smooth. If the liquid is hot it will make a bit of an explosion, se be careful. You could purée on very low to start, then allow some steam to escape, and then continue until it is smooth.
- Add the lemon juice and salt to taste. Drizzle with a little olive oil to serve, and add some minced chives for garnish if you like.