Tuesday, October 7, 2008

being at home, part 2

The soup is delicious! And really very easy to make. Too good not to share:

Cauliflower soup with Gorgonzola

1 medium cauliflower
15g unsalted butter (about 1 tbsp)
2 smallish yellow onions, peeled and finely sliced
4 thyme sprigs
2 bay leaves
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 litre chicken stock (32 oz)
250g Gorgonzola (about 1/2 pound)
100ml crème fraîche (2-3 tbsp)

Remove the outer leaves from the cauliflower and break it into small florets (don’t bother to remove the stalk ~ it only adds to the flavor). Melt the butter gently in a pot (large enough to hold all your ingredients) over a medium heat). Add the onions and sweat gently for 5 minutes or so until translucent.

Add the cauliflower, thyme and bay leaves. Season with a little salt and pepper, to allow the flavors to adjust and find their feet. Pour in the chicken stock, stir and bring to a simmer. Then cover and simmer for 20 minutes or so, until the cauliflower is very soft.

Crumble in the Gorgonzola and stir over a low heat until it has melted into the soup. Add the crème fraîche and stir to combine. Pick out the bay leaves and thyme stalks, then tip the soup into a blender and whiz until really smooth. This will take a good minute or so, as often one or two little florets escape the blade. Return the soup to the pan and reheat gently. Taste and add a little more salt and pepper if you think it needs it.

NOTE: I used a hand blender so that I did not need to transfer the soup. And for those of you in the States, I annotated the ingredients with American measurements (however, it really is a rather inexact science!). Serve with a crisp Riesling!

(From: Skye Gyngell's A Year in My Kitchen)

7 comments:

Gretchen said...

Aren't hand blenders the best things?! What a beautiful recipe - so lyrical.

Anonymous said...

Your cousin, Kevin Brown, the talented chef of Burb's Bistro and Bar in Canada, once told me the hand blender is the most useful tool in his kitchen. Many thanks for the recipe! cgb

Pigtown*Design said...

I love my hand-blender. When I moved back here, I got one at a yard-sale for a quarter, figuring i might never use it. But I do, and it's so handy!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for posting the recipe -- I need to make this!

Anonymous said...

This sounds like really tasty soup - perfect for the fall weather.

Sabina said...

Thanks for the recipe!!

Have a great day!!

Pigtown*Design said...

JCB... i was talking to my mother and she makes something similar to this but instead of cooking the veg in butter, she pressure cooks it.