Soups & stews
Cauliflower soup with blue cheese, pickled pear & walnuts
The mild cauliflower becomes a backdrop for the complementary pairing of creamy blue cheese and sharp/sweet pickle. You’ll need to make the pickle ahead of time, it can keep for up to a week in the fridge.
Ingredients
For the pickled pear:
- 100ml red wine vinegar
- 50g sugar
- 1 firm pear, cut into matchsticks
- ½ small red onion, finely sliced
For the cauliflower soup
- oil for frying
- 2 onions, sliced
- 2 celery sticks, finely diced
- salt
- 1 large cauliflower, broken into florets
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 litre vegetable or chicken stock
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 lemon
- 100g blue cheese
- 30g walnuts, toasted and chopped
Method
Pickled pear
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Step 1
To make the pickled pear in advance, warm the vinegar and sugar together until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and stir in the pear and onion. Add a good pinch of salt and leave for at least an hour, preferably overnight.
Soup
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Step 1
Warm 2 tablespoons of oil in a deep pan. Add the onions, celery and a pinch of salt. Cook gently for 10 minutes, until starting to soften.
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Step 2
Add the cauliflower, garlic and bay. Cook for 5 more minutes.
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Step 3
Tip in the stock. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook for 10 minutes, or until everything is soft and tender.
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Step 4
Remove the bay leaves. Stir in the mustard and a squeeze of lemon juice. Blend the soup until completely smooth. Add a dash of water if it seems too thick.
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Step 5
Taste and tweak with more salt and lemon to your liking.
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Step 6
To serve, divide between 4 bowls and garnish with some pickled pear, crumbled cheese and walnuts.