Soup! Super tasty soup!

I don't like cauliflower. Or at least I thought I didn't like cauliflower. The boy bemoaned the fact I never cooked it at home so I decided to man up, buy one, cook it and learn to love it. And it turned out to be no chore at all.....

As I browsed this months cooking magazines I noticed they were full of seasonal cauliflower recipes so, with a soup recipe from the October 2009 issue of Delicious magazine in mind, I picked up a "Lincolnshire Large Cauliflower" when I visited Mr Tesco.

So that was the first step. I had let a cauliflower into my house where it sat in the fridge taunting me for 4 days. Then the weekend rolled around, we enjoyed a lazy saturday breakfast of creamy garlic mushrooms on toast then the Boy reminded me of my cauliflower promises.

I searched out the bookmarked soup recipe and check we had the right ingredients (secretly hoping we did not!). I had to make a couple of substitutions but the recipe was suprisingly minimal and easy....And only required half of the gargantuan cauliflower I'd bought....

I served the soup with wholegrain bread croutons and dry fried Pancetta, lashings of black pepper and a small grate of cheddar cheese, erring on the side of caution that I really wouldn't like the cauliflower taste - much to my surprise it was absolutely gorgeous.

I put 2 portions in freezer bags to save for another day and one didn't even make it into the freezer (just don't tell the boy!)

Now I just have to work out what to do with the other half of the cauliflower.....

Cauliflower Soup
Serves 6 as a starter
Freeze: put the cooled soup into a container, seal and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost completely, then reheat in a saucepan.

Melt 50g butter in a large saucepan over a medium-low heat.
Add 1 chopped onion and cook for 3-4 mins until soft but not coloured.
Add 1 cauliflower cut into florets and cook, stirring for 1 minute.
Add 500ml of hot vegetable stock and 300ml of milk, then bring to the boil.
Reduce the heat to low and cook for a further 5-6 minutes unil the cauliflower is tender.
Using a stick blender, blend the soup until it is smooth, add 300ml single cream *** and heat through.
Season with salt and pepper.

**(I used a combination of half fat Creme Fraiche and milk as I had no cream!)