Cream of vegetable soup is a basic recipe that can be made as simply or as fancy as you wish. You can use this recipe with many vegetables and herbs, including carrot, kumara and parsley. You can substitute the cream with coconut cream for a dairy-free version.
2 tbsp olive oil or butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
1-2 green cardamom pods, crushed
1/2 a large cauliflower, including the stalk, chopped
juice of half a lemon
3 cups water or vegetable stock
1/2 cup cream
freshly ground salt and pepper
We served with:
A generous sprinkling of Pacific Rim Smoked Kelp salt and Be Nourished Ruby Perfection Raw Sauerkraut
Alternative toppings include a sprinkling of truffle salt or crumbled blue cheese and lightly toasted caraway seeds (switching the cardamom pods in the soup for 1/2 tsp of caraway seeds)
Using a large frying pan on moderate heat, gently saute the onion until translucent. Reduce the heat and add the garlic, cardamom, chopped cauliflower and lemon juice and continue to cook for about 10 minutes more, stirring often, until everything is gently toasted but not browned.
Transfer everything to a lidded saucepan, add water, cover and bring to the boil. Simmer for approximately 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cauliflower is soft.
If you have a blender, allow to cool a little before blending to a smooth consistency. If you don’t have a blender, cover and cook for a further 10 minutes on low until really soft, then mash with a potato masher or use a wooden spoon to push though a metal sieve.
Before serving, bring soup back up to just boiling and stir in cream. Add salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle with garnishes of your choice.
