CHEESY CAULIFLOWER SOUP

SERVES 4-5

Cauliflower, with its mass of tightly furled, unopened buds, has a unique flavour that does not suit all taste buds. There seems no middle ground – you either love or hate it! Once grown in Kiwi backyards, lovingly tended by the home gardener who took pride in relentless weekend chores, cauliflowers were a mainstay of the vege plot. Having dropped off the popularity charts a few decades ago – losing out to its quicker-cooking cousin, broccoli – cauliflower is having a justly deserved mini revival. As cauliflower – and, for that matter, broccoli – never reaches the flowering stage, the goodness that would have been used to create the bloom is held within the stems and the head, so make sure you eat the florets and stems.

INGREDIENTS

1 head (about 800g) cauliflower, leaves removed 1 onion, evenly chopped

75g butter

¼ cup flour 3 cups chicken stock

1 cup milk

2 cups grated mild cheddar-style cheese – gruyère is delicious here

White pepper, for seasoning

¼-½ cup chopped parsley

Lemon oil, to garnish – optional

Paprika, to garnish – optional

1 Chop the cauliflower roughly and place in a saucepan with the onion. Cover with water and season with salt. Bring to the boil and simmer for 8-10 minutes or until cooked. Do not overcook cauliflower as the underlying sulphurous tone will ruin any dish.

2 Using a slotted spoon, lift the cauliflower and onion pieces from the saucepan and place in a deep jug or bowl with 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Using a stick blender or in a food processor or blender, purée the vegetables until smooth.

3 Heat the butter in a clean saucepan over a moderate heat. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add the stock and cook, stirring occasionally, until the soup comes to the boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the cauliflower purée and milk, and half the cheese, and bring to scalding point. Do not boil as the cheese will become stringy.

4 Season with salt and white pepper.

5 To serve, evenly scatter the remaining cheese in the bases of four or five warmed soup bowls and ladle in the soup. Garnish with the parsley, a drizzle of lemon oil if wished and freshly

• ground black pepper or pinches of paprika.