“This is the nicest thing you have ever cooked!†my girlfriend stated when I presented her with this. I was a bit gutted that a humble soup was deemed my greatest creation…. but one spoonful of this silky and luxurious soup and I had to agree, it was up there.
Ingredients
- 1 x Cauliflower chopped into florets
- 8 – 10 x Asparagus chopped , plus 1 to garnish
- 4 x cloves garlic (2 chopped, 2 placed whole into stock
- 4 x Shallots
- 1 x litres good quality vegetable stock
- 1 x teaspoon salt
- 1 x teaspoon cumin
- 1 x tablespoon butter
- 1 x tablespoon flour
- 200 ml milk
- 5 x tablespoons single cream (plus some to garnish)
- olive oil
- grated parmesan
How to do it….
1. Boil cauliflower in stock, with 2 whole cloves garlic (with skin on), salt and cumin
2. In a separate pan, fry the chopped shallots and 2 cloves of garlic in a little oil on a low heat until tender and translucent (remove from heat and reserve when done)
3. Using a hand peeler, shave several long strips of asparagus, douse in olive oil and grated parmesan, place in a medium oven to roast
4. Add the chopped asparagus to the cauliflower stock when cauliflower begins to tenderise (about 10 minutes in) simmer for a further 10 minutes
5. Melt butter in another pan on a low heat, once melted, whisk in the flour until fully combined with the butter. Add the milk little by little, whisking all the while to create a thick béchamel sauce. Add salt , fried garlic and shallots to allow their flavour to infuse.
6. Drain the cauliflower and asparagus being careful to retain the stock.
7. Add the drained vegetables and stock to the béchamel sauce and stir together until to a soupy consistency.
8. Using a hand blender blend all of the ingredients until smooth
9. Pass the soup through a fine sieve, return to heat and stir in cream,
10. Serve with roasted Asparagus and parmesan garnish and a flourish of cream and olive oil.