Porcini, Herb & Cauliflower Soup
This warming vegetable soup is perfect fare for a blustery night. It stands up well, and in fact improves in flavour, when made a couple of days ahead of time. Warm it up once you arrive at the party and garnish with the baguette and cheese just before serving.
1 oz (30 g) dried porcini mushrooms, crumbled 2 cups (500 mL) boiling water
4 tbsp (60 mL) butter, divided
1 small head cauliflower, chopped into rough ½ inch (1 cm) pieces
2 medium onions, sliced
Salt
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsp (30 mL) chopped rosemary
¼ cup (60 mL) loosely packed chopped sage 1 bay leaf
6 cups (1.5 L) water
4 cups (1 L) chopped kale
2 tbsp (30 mL) Worcestershire sauce
Toasted baguette slices to serve
4 oz (115 g) Stilton, crumbled
1 Combine porcini and boiling water in a heatproof bowl; set aside.
2 Melt 2 tbsp (30 mL) butter in a large pot over mediumhigh heat; add cauliflower and cook until golden, stirring from time to time, about 8 minutes. Scrape into a second heatproof bowl and wipe pot clean.
3 Place pot over mediumlow, melt remaining 2 tbsp (30 mL) butter and add onions. Season generously with salt; cover and cook undisturbed for 10 minutes. Remove lid and continue cooking 10 minutes longer, stirring frequently, until caramelized.
4 Meanwhile, strain porcini soaking liquid through a fine mesh sieve and reserve it. Rinse porcini under cool water.
5 Stir garlic, rosemary, sage, bay leaf and porcini mushrooms into onions; fry for 2 minutes until fragrant. Pour water and porcini liquid over; bring to a boil over medium heat. Add kale and Worcestershire sauce, cover and cook for 10 minutes.
6 Stir in cauliflower; boil 5 minutes longer. Divide soup between desired number of bowls and top each with a toasted baguette slice; divide Stilton between the bowls.
Serves 8 to 10 WHAT TO SERVE
Winzer Krems Grüner Veltliner 13
LCBO 375022 $13.95 Grüner Veltliner’s verve and minerality make it exceptionally versatile and a perfect partner for cauliflower and other vegetables in the brassica family, which can be tricky to match.
Tio Pepe Extra Dry Fino
LCBO 231829 $18.90 Fino sherry boosts the flavour of umami-rich foods like the dried porcini mushrooms and Stilton cheese in this recipe. Citrus and briny notes cleanse the palate for the next bite.