Samettinen kukkakaalikeitto & valkosipulileipä

Creamy Cauliflower Soup & Herby Garlic Bread

I always get a feeling of excitement when I get the chance to share new recipes and new flavors with you all. When I was making this soup for the very first time, I could not believe how silky smooth the texture was and how well the flavors blended in with one another, it was like a perfect symphony for my taste buds.🎼 Once you take a spoonful, you wish you never see the bottom of your soup bowl. 🥰 Serve the soup with warm herby garlic bread. I am rarely at a loss of words, but the flavor of this bread…my oh my…if perfection ever embodied itself in a loaf of bread, here it is.

CAULIFLOWER SOUP

1 onion
500 g cauliflower
2 tbsp canola oil
2 cups vegetable stock
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp fresh oregano leaves
2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
1 garlic clove
100 ml olive oil
300 ml almond milk
1 pinch freshly grated nutmeg
Grated zest of 1 organic lemon
1 tbsp almond butter
4 tbsp crème fraiche
1 dash lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Peel and dice the onion. Trim and coarsely chop the cauliflower. Set aside two handfuls. Heat 1 tablespoon of the canola oil in a large pot, add the diced onion and sweat until translucent. Stir in the cauliflower and continue to sauté. Stir in the vegetable stock and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer the vegetables for about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, divide the remaining cauliflower into small florets. Toss with 1 tablespoon of the canola oil in the bowl. Sprinkle the florets with sea salt, pepper, and 1 teaspoon each of the oregano and thyme. Spread on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Transfer to the oven and roast until golden, about 15 minutes.

Peel and crush the garlic clove and pound to a paste with the remaining herbs, salt, and olive oil.

Once the cauliflower in the saucepan is cooked, stir in the almond milk and season everything with salt, pepper, and grated nutmeg. Add the lemon zest and almond butter. Blend the soup with a blender until creamy. Keep warm until serving.

Season the créme fraiche with salt, pepper, and lemon juice.

Divide the soup among bowls. Garnish with créme fraiche and serve with roasted cauliflower and herbed garlic oil. Serve hot.

Inside of the oven, underneath a crunchy exterior, awaits the mystical aroma of rosemary, audaciously intense flavor of thyme, and wildly dashing garlic. Combined with one another, and a hint of butter, they make for an irresistible loaf of bread.

GARLIC BREAD WITH ROSEMARY AND THYME

1 large loaf of artisan bread
2 chopped/pressed garlic cloves
Room temperature butter
3 tbsp olive oil
5-7 branches of thyme
2-3 branches of rosemary

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Mix the garlic, butter, and olive oil in a bowl. Slice the bread into thick slices, but not quite all the way down, and smear each slice with the garlic-butter mix. Place the rosemary and thyme branches between the slices.

Wrap the bread in foil and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Serve straight out of the oven.