Creamy cauliflower and chorizo soup

A meeting of two happy ingredients.

This beautifully comforting soup combines sweet, earthy cauliflower and spicy, flavourful chorizo sausage to bring out the best in both ingredients and make for a lovely (almost) liquid dinner.

INGREDIENTS

1 medium cauliflower, washed and cut into small florets
olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 onion, diced
sea salt and black pepper
4 cups (1 litre) vegetable stock
1/3 cup cream (optional)
1-2 chorizo sausages, sliced
2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Serves 3-4

METHOD:

Step 1: In a heavy-based pot, gently fry the onion and garlic in about 2 tablespoons of oil, until translucent and fragrant. Add the cauliflower florets and stir until the cauliflower is well combined with the onion and garlic, and has a little colour. Season well. Add the hot stock to the cauliflower mixture, then simmer gently until the cauliflower is tender. This should take about 15-20 minutes.

Step 2: Meanwhile, add a little oil to a small saucepan and fry your chorizo for a few minutes, until cooked.

Step 3: Once your cauliflower is tender, turn off the heat and mash up the mixture with a potato masher. I do this because if I were to go straight to blending, I would end up wearing the soup. This actually has happened to me and was quite traumatising, so I don’t recommend it! Once you are confident that the cauliflower has been smashed to smithereens, blend using a hand-held blender or whatever device you own that you feel will do the trick.

Step 4: Add in the cream should you wish to soften the flavours and enjoy a creamier texture. Add parsley and then check for seasoning.

Step 5: Ladle the soup into serving bowls and then top with chorizo slices, a drizzle of the residue chorizo oil and a little parsley to garnish. Serve with crusty bread.