Roast cauliflower soup

A thick and creamy cauliflower soup recipe with warming spices.

This hearty vegetable soup is a Palestinian recipe from Zaitoun by Yasmin Khan.

Serves 4–6

Ingredients

1 large cauliflower (1kg)
2 onions, sliced
extra virgin olive oil
1½ tsp ground cumin
1½ tsp ground coriander
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
30g salted butter
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 large potato (400g), skin left on, roughly chopped into 3cm squares
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 litre vegetable or chicken stock
2 tbs flaked almonds, to serve
chopped parsley leaves, to serve

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/Gas. Cut the cauliflower into equal-sized florets and place them, along with any leaves, on a baking tray with the onions. Drizzle over a few tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle on the cumin and coriander, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Use your hands to mix everything together, then bake for around 20 minutes, or until the cauliflower is cooked through but still has some bite.
2. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large saucepan and sauté the garlic for a few minutes over a low heat. Add the potato, turmeric and stock, cover and cook for 10 minutes, until the potato is soft.
3. When the cauliflower is done, reserve a few spoons of it for the topping (including leaves, if you have them) and add the remainder to the soup. Simmer everything together for 5 minutes before blitzing with a hand-held blender until it is smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
4. Toast the flaked almonds in a dry pan over a low heat until they turn golden. When you’re ready to serve, ladle the soup into warmed bowls and top with a spoonful of roast cauliflower florets and a scattering of toasted almonds and parsley.

This is an edited extract of Zaitoun by Yasmin Khan, Bloomsbury ($45).