If there’s one thing that my blog has taught me over the course of the past few weeks, it’s that almost every ingredient can be enjoyed by all, if only it’s prepared in an attractive manner. For instance, my recipes for roasted sweet potato and parsnip soup and root vegetable mash have already proved that parsnip can be enjoyable. Likewise, this soup recipe has largely transformed my once obnoxious attitude toward the cauliflower.
The main suspect in the case against the cauliflower is the somewhat ubiquitous cauliflower cheese. You see, this loathsome dish tends to be one of two things; insipid or watery. However, it could be considered somewhat brutish to judge what was once my least favourite brassica, by a largely awful dish. Instead, why not follow my lead and enjoy the poor vegetable in this exquisite soup?
Of course, we must be careful not to forget the other two members of this culinary triumvirate, as they play equally important roles. Since the broccoli and cauliflower are both brassicas, they naturally support one another in terms of flavour. As such, this soup possesses a rather bold flavour, backed up by the freshness of the leek. Therefore, it has a very neatly balanced flavour that is hard to tire of.
Finally, you may have noticed that this soup contains what is best described as a healthy dose of butter, an addition my gastronomic conscience deemed essential. However, since such an addition has the potentially irritating and problematic effect of rendering the dish unattractive to those of you with infamous dietary requirements, you may be forgiven for omitting the offending dairy derivative. However, such an allowance only applies if you are either vegan or have an intolerance to dairy… Enjoy!
Broccoli, Cauliflower and Leek Soup
Serves 4
Ingredients:
• 200g broccoli florets
• 200g cauliflower florets
• 1 large leek, finely sliced
• 2 small potatoes, diced
• 700ml vegetable stock
• 40g salted butter
• Salt and pepper
Method:
1. Fry the shredded leek in the butter until translucent, add the potato and then the stock, boil until the potato is soft.
2. Tip in the florets, cook for a further 5 minutes before blending using a food processor or stick blender. Return the soup to the pan, heat through and season to taste. Serve with a hunk of bread and a slab of butter.
Cost: In truth, we got the florets for 10p in a supermarket reduced section, but broccoli and cauliflower are cheap even at full price. Indeed, the entire batch of soup should set one back, at most, £1.70. Of course, that depends on the prices in your local area, but it’s rather difficult for me to estimate that!
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I am eating this soup for the first time right now. But it won’t be the last time! I love all the ingredients; I think overcooking or boiling them right in water is why so many dislike the brassicas. I cooked these fairly quickly and added a bit more water before I blended it. I’d forgotten about the potato, as I was cooking while searching for the recipe on my phone. So I cut up half a baked potato from last night and threw that in. I think next time I’ll add some garlic powder (not that it needs anything; I just mess around with recipes). Thanks so much for the recipe! The sweet potato/carrot soup is next, and I will read the recipe first (-; . . . ~ Linne
Fantastic! So glad you liked it! Yes, read the recipe first – that’s a good idea… what’s garlic powder like?
I liked the garlic powder in the soup; would have liked fresh garlic even more, I think, but my Mum doesn’t care for garlic, so I tone it down a bit, as this is her apt. I gues I didnt really read the recipe; I see today that it calls for sauteeing the leek, etc. I chopped the veggies roughly, dumped them in a saucepan with some water (more than a cup, I think), simmered until done, then used my new stick blender to shmush them up together.
I hate to say it, but I often only read the ingredient lists (and yes, it does cause me trouble at times); I can only remember one time when I actually followed a recipe exactly; not a single creative variation. I made something for my sister’s Christmas party (she’s a nurse) because she was in hospital up to the day of. She knows me fairly well and made me SWEAR!! to follow her recipe without deviation. I did, and she was happy. . . then I was back to my usual life of happy and not so happy surprises. Seriously, most of my changes are just flavouring or whatever, nothing serious. But three days ago, after we took delivery of a 40 lb box of MacIntosh apples from BC (my homeland), I made a large apple crisp/cobbler. I don’t have my recipes (that I have developed over the years) here with me, so attempted to make it from memory (of a few years ago now). It might have been ok, but I think I took it out of the oven a wee bit too soon; only one edge was browned. The dough/topping is a tiny bit undercooked and doughy. However, I’ve been heating it in the microwave before I pour the milk over it and it’s been edible; just a bit heavy. Will that teach me? Maybe, but then again . . .
Always best to read the method, though I never follow recipes at all! I have to say that I love undercooked crumble… and a thick layer of it too!
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Hi, I tried this recipe yesterday with the ingredients having already been in my fridge as I’d been ill and hadn’t been able to cook, so the whole dish cost me £0. My daughter is cows milk allergic so I used goats butter. Also I added half a little pack of goats cream cheese I had in the fridge. It was one of the most delicious soups I’ve ever tasted and I’m not a lover of broccoli/cauliflower normally. I’ve put a photo I took of mine on FB and encouraged my friends to check out your recipes.
Sounds wonderful – so glad you enjoyed it frugally
. Thank you very much!