Roasted Cauliflower Soup With Bacon And Thyme Food

ROASTED CAULIFLOWER SOUP WITH BACON AND CARAMELIZED ONIONS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
• Cut the head of cauliflower into similar sized pieces, toss it with the garlic cloves and 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and cook on a baking sheet. About 25 minutes or until the cauliflower is tender.
• In a small sauté pan over medium heat, cook bacon until crispy. Use a slotted spoon to carefully remove the pieces from the bacon grease and set aside for later.
• Reduce the heat to low and add the onions to the bacon fat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are a deep golden brown. Add olive oil or melt butter if needed. Set aside.
• In a heavy bottomed pot, add the roasted cauliflower, garlic cloves and chicken stock. Bring it to a boil, then reduce to a simmer until the cauliflower is heated through. Purée with a blender or food processor. Stir in the parmigiano reggiano cheese until melted and season with salt and pepper.
• Garnish with the cooked bacon, caramelized onions, optional fried sage, and additional parmigiano reggiano.

ROASTED CAULIFLOWER + BACON SOUP

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400*
• In two large roasting pans add cauliflower, onions, garlic and capers
• Drizzle vegetables with oil and toss to coat with chili flakes, thyme, salt and pepper to taste
• Bake for 35 minutes until cauliflower is tender and slighting golden, get some goodness on it!
• Meanwhile, fry pieces of bacon until crispy and set aside to cool
• Once, vegetables are done roasting add to a high powered blender with 2 cups of chicken stock and puree. Depending on the size of your blender you may need to do this in batches, you can also use an immersion blender
• Add cauliflower puree and remaining chicken stock to a large stock pot and bring to a boil
• Meanwhile add the bacon to the blender and pulse until finely chopped, you should have small bacon bits
• Once pot begins to boil bring to a simmer and add bacon bits
• Simmer for another 15- 20 minutes and serve

COLD CAULIFLOWER SOUP WITH BACON AND CROUTONS

Steps:

• For the croutons: Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Arrange the bread cubes in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil. Sprinkle the thyme on top and season with the salt and pepper if using. Toss until coated. Bake until golden and crisp, 10 to 12 minutes. Set aside to cool.
• For the bacon: On another baking sheet, arrange the bacon in a single layer. Bake until browned and crisp, 15 to 17 minutes. Drain on paper towels. When cool enough to handle, chop into 1/2-inch pieces and set aside.
• For the soup: In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the celery, shallots, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and cook until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Stir in the chicken broth, thyme and cauliflower. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook until the vegetables are tender, 20 to 25 minutes.
• In batches, puree the soup in a food processor until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Cool the soup to room temperature, then refrigerate until ready to serve, at least 2 hours.
• Ladle the chilled soup into bowls and garnish with the croutons and bacon.
• Cook's Note: The soup can also be blended using an immersion blender.

CAULIFLOWER SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Toss the cauliflower florets in a roasting tin with 1 tbsp olive oil, the cumin and the thyme. Roast for 15 mins or until golden and tender. Discard the thyme.
• Heat the remaining oil in a saucepan with the onion and celery and fry over a medium heat for 10 mins or until softened. Add the garlic and cook for 1 min. Stir through most of the cauliflower, reserving some to top the soup with later. Add 750ml of the stock to the pan and bring to a simmer. Cook for 10 mins.
• Blitz the soup until smooth using a hand blender or food processor. Stir through the cream and season to taste. Add extra stock if you like your soup a little thinner. Ladle into bowls and top with the parsley, reserved cauliflower and an extra drizzle of olive oil.