Mary’s Cauliflower Leek Soup

This substantial soup recipe from Mary is a warming comfort food, simply delicious. Mary uses chicken stock (Minor’s) but as we only have vegetarian recipes, we use Rapunzel’s vegan bouillon cubes to make the stock. Use whatever works for you. The onions and leeks combination gives the soup its special flavor.

Make sure you discard the tough green part of the leek and any tough outer parts. Use the tender white portion of the leeks. Then rinse well, separating the layers as there is a lot of gritty sand stuck in between.

Ingredients

• I tablespoon butter or oil
• I large onion, chopped
• 2 leeks, rinsed well and chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 quart vegetable stock
• 1 head of cauliflower separated into florets (about 4 cups)
• 2 medium yellow potatoes, peeled and diced (about 1 ½ cups)
• salt and white pepper to taste
• cream for garnish (optional)

Steps

1. In a large pot, melt the butter or heat the oil. Saute the onions, leeks, and garlic on medium heat till soft and wilted. This takes about 3-5 minutes. Do not brown them.
2. Add the diced potatoes and cauliflower florets. Then pour in the stock. If you add the stock first and then the vegetables, you will end up with lots of splatters.
3. Add salt and pepper to taste.
4. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil. The cover and simmer for about 20 minutes till the vegetables are thoroughly cooked and tender.
5. Using and immersion blender, puree the soup to a smooth and creamy consistency. It can also be pureed in a blender, taking care to place a dish towel over the lid to prevent the hot liquid from spurting out. Check seasoning and adjust if necessary. Thin the soup with a little water if is too thick.

Serve the soup hot with an optional swirl of cream and enjoy!

Serves 6. Preparation and cooking time: 45 minutes.