Every couple of years, I take a little trip to London. And like clockwork, I end up at Borough Market for lunch. It’s the oldest market in town - and if it looks familiar, that’s because it popped up in Harry Potter and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. These days, it’s all about specialty food stalls, craftsmanship and curious finds. I usually walk out with spices I and a jar of some mysterious Jamaican jam.
They also publish their own cookbooks, and this cauliflower soup comes from one of them. It’s very liberally loaded with Parmigiano Reggiano and I’m pretty sure that’s the reason Alan goes for it.
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Serves: 4-6 people
Ingredients:
1 (800g) cauliflower with all the leaves
2 leeks
1 celery stalk
2 tbsp olive oil
20g butter
3 garlic cloves
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
80g parmesan (plus, optionally, a chunk of parmesan rind if you have some)
1 litre of chicken stock
additional olive oil to serve
Steps:
Trim the leaves off the cauliflower and set aside. If your cauliflower has a very tough end to its stalk, cut off and discard that, then chop the rest of the cauliflower florets and stalk into chunks. Set aside.
Finely chop the cauliflower leaves. Trim the leeks and thinly slice along with the celery.
Heat olive oil and the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the chopped cauliflower leaves, celery, leeks and some salt. Put the lid on and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft but not colouring. Peel and crush garlic cloves and stir into the pan along with the bay leaves, and cook for a further 5 minutes. Add the cumin and stir for about 30 seconds to release its flavour, then add the chopped cauliflower florets and stalks, the parmesan rind (if using), and pour over the stock. Stir and simmer with the lid on for about 20 minutes until the cauliflower is tender.
Remove the bay leaves and the parmesan rind. Grate parmesan, stir 60g of it into the soup and blend. Make it as smooth or chunky as you prefer.
Serve with the reserved parmesan, freshly ground black pepper and olive oil on top.