Recipe: Cauliflower and Chestnut Soup

It's winter and I've been flexing my soupmaking muscles. I found this gem of a recipe on BBC Good Food and adapted it slightly for my taste (the original had too much dairy). This is a simple soup made with two excellent and distinguished main ingredients: cauliflower and chestnut. It has a wonderful velvety texture. You can buy the chestnuts ready cooked in vacuum packs, as they can be a pain to roast yourself.

This recipe serves 4.

Ingredients:

- Olive oil
- 1 red onion, finely chopped
- 1 large cauliflower, cut into florets
- 250 ml milk (I recommend goat milk for extra flavour)
- 2 vegetable stock cubes or 850 ml vegetable stock
- 150 ml double cream
- 200 g cooked chestnuts, roughly chopped


In a large pot, heat a tablespoon or two of olive oil and add your chopped onion, frying on medium heat until soft and slightly browned at the edges. Put your cauliflower, milk and vegetable stock in the pot. Bring your mixture to a simmer and cook for about 15-20 minutes, or until your cauliflower is soft.

Add the cream, season with salt and pepper, and bring the soup back to a boil. Take off the heat, add your chestnuts, and mix the soup with a hand (immersion) blender. Alternatively, you can wait until it cools a bit and blend in a food processor or blender.

Bon appetit!