Description
Jamie Oliver’s cauliflower and blue cheese soup offers a creamy, luxurious twist on classic comfort cuisine. Rich flavors meld together, creating a soul-warming dish that invites you to savor each comforting spoonful.
Ingredients
Scale
- 800 g (28.22 oz) cauliflower
- 200 g (7.05 oz) blue cheese
- 2 medium onions
- 2 carrots
- 2 sticks celery
- 4 strips bacon (for garnish)
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 tbsps olive oil
- 2 vegetable bouillon cubes (or chicken)
- 1 tsp English mustard
- 1.875 L (63.40 fl oz) boiling water
- Sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Nutmeg (optional)
Instructions
- Vegetable Preparation: Peel and chop carrots, celery, and onions into uniform pieces. Mince garlic and segment cauliflower. These precisely cut ingredients form the flavor foundation of the soup.
- Bacon Preparation: Crisp bacon in a skillet until golden, then transfer to a paper towel to drain excess fat. This will serve as a textural garnish for the final dish.
- Sauté Vegetables: Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Introduce chopped vegetables, allowing them to soften and caramelize for 10 minutes, stirring intermittently to prevent scorching.
- Liquid Integration: Dissolve vegetable bouillon cubes into boiling water, creating a robust broth. Pour this liquid over the sautéed vegetables, stirring to marry the flavors completely.
- Simmering Process: Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, then reduce heat. Simmer with a partially covered lid for 10 minutes, allowing ingredients to develop a harmonious depth of flavor.
- Blending and Finishing: Remove from heat and incorporate crumbled blue cheese and English mustard. Use an immersion blender to transform the mixture into a luxuriously smooth consistency.
- Final Touches: Season with sea salt and black pepper. Optional: Add a subtle hint of nutmeg. Ladle the soup into serving bowls and crown with crispy bacon fragments for a delightful textural contrast.
Notes
- Precision Matters: Uniformly cut vegetables ensure even cooking and consistent texture throughout the soup.
- Bacon Technique: Drain bacon on paper towels to remove excess fat, maintaining its crispy texture for garnish.
- Flavor Layering: Caramelize vegetables slowly to develop deep, rich undertones before adding liquid.
- Blending Wisdom: Use an immersion blender for smooth consistency, avoiding over-processing to maintain subtle vegetable nuances.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Dinner, Appetizer
- Method: Simmering
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 250
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 800 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 20 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 10 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg