CAULIFLOWER AND ROQUEFORT SOUP WITH JET BLACK CROSTINI
Serves 4
Ingredients:
For the soup
●●25g butter ●●One medium onion, peeled and coarselychopped ●●One clove garlic, peeled and chopped ●●One stick of celery, coarsely-chopped ●●One teaspoon medium curry powder ●●225g cauliflower florets ●●300ml vegetable stock ●●300ml milk ●●60g Roquefort crumbled
For the Crostini
●●Half granary baguette ●●Two tablespoons olive oil ●●Half clove garlic, peeled and finelychopped ●●One jar tapenade
If you can’t get hold of tapenade, a cheat’s version is to blend some stoned black olives to a paste with some olive oil and a hint of garlic.
Method:
1. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C. 2. In a large saucepan, melt the butter and sauté the onion, garlic and celery for about five minutes over a low heat until they have softened but not coloured. Add the curry powder and cook for another minute.
3. Put in the cauliflower florets, the vegetable stock and the milk. Bring it to a simmer then cover the pan and cook until the cauliflower is tender, about 10 minutes. Remove it from the heat and leave it to cool before blending.
4. Slice the baguette thinly into small rounds and place them on a baking sheet. Mix together the olive oil and garlic and drizzle over the bread. Spread the tapenade thinly over the top. Put the baking sheet in the oven for about 5 minutes until the crostini are crispy.
5. Pour the soup into a food processor or liquidiser and blend until it is smooth. Rinse the pan and pour the soup back into it through a sieve, then return the pan to the heat.
6. Now add the Roquefort and continue to heat, stirring until the cheese has melted. Try not to boil the soup or the cheese will go a bit stringy. Taste and season, then serve it piping hot with the tapenade Crostini floating on the surface.