HUNGARIAN PAPRIKA-SPICED CAULIFLOWER SOUP
Prep time 40 Cooking time 1 hour 20 mins Serves 4-6
110g butter, coarsely chopped
1kg cauliflower, cut into florets
4 garlic cloves, finely grated
2 tbsp thyme
1 tbsp Hungarian paprika, plus extra to serve ½ tsp cayenne pepper
Finely grated rind of 1 lemon
1 onion, finely chopped
1.5 litres (6 cups) chicken stock
To serve: Sour cream and lemon wedges ¼ cup each (loosely packed) flat-leaf parsley and dill
Nokedli or mini dumplings
150g (1 cup) plain flour 2 eggs, lightly beaten Olive oil to coat
For mini dumplings, combine flour in a bowl with 1 tsp fine sea salt. Add eggs and 100ml cold water and stir to make a thick batter (it will not be smooth). Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Using a spatula, push batter through a colander in batches into the saucepan and cook until nokedli float to the surface, 1-2 minutes. Drain well, toss in a little oil, spread on a tray and set aside. (These can be made a couple of hours ahead and refrigerated until required.) To make soup, preheat oven to 180°C. Melt 50g butter, then transfer to a large bowl, and add cauliflower, half the garlic, thyme, paprika, cayenne pepper and lemon rind. Mix well, season, then spread on oven trays lined with baking paper and roast, stirring occasionally, until cauliflower is golden, 40-45 mins.
Heat 30g butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and sauté, 4 mins, then add remaining garlic and stir until fragrant, 2 mins. Add stock, season to taste and bring to the simmer. Add roasted cauliflower, reserving ½ cup to garnish, then simmer until tender and flavours combine, 12-15 mins. Puree with a hand-held blender until smooth, season to taste and keep warm. Heat remaining butter in a large frying pan over medium-high heat, add dumplings in batches and fry until golden, 3-4 mins, transfer to a plate and season to taste. Serve soup hot, with dumplings and reserved cauliflower scattered over. Garnish with sour cream, herbs, lemon wedges for squeezing and extra paprika.