Roast cauliflower soup with chorizo, parsley, almonds and watercress

Tamara West

Throughout winter I will often make up a big pot of soup, then freeze individual portions of it in zip-lock bags. These make the perfect healthy, convenient winter lunch to take to work. A small mug of homemade soup makes a great healthy instant snack too (there’s no need to buy the processed over-salty instant soup sachets). Here is a soup, full of nutritious ingredients that will satisfy and keep you nourished.

Ingredients

1 head	Cauliflower, about 1.1-1.2kg, broken into florets (Main)
2 Tbsp	Olive oil
2 tsp	Honey
½ tsp	Chilli flakes, optional
1 Tbsp	Butter
3	Shallots, diced
3 cloves	Garlic, minced
1 Tbsp	Fresh thyme, leaves, chopped
2 cups	Chicken stock
2 ¼ cups	Milk
200 g	Chorizo sausages, diced
⅓ cup	Roasted almonds, roughly chopped
⅓ cup	Flat leaf (Italian) parsley, chopped
1	Lemon, freshly zested
2 tsp	Extra virgin olive oil
1 pinch	Sea salt
1 squeeze	Lemon juice
1 handful	Watercress, to garnish, optional

Directions

1. Heat oven to 220C. Line an oven tray with baking paper.
2. Toss cauliflower with olive oil, honey and chili flakes in prepared oven tray and season well with salt and pepper. Roast until just golden and tender, about 15 minutes.
3. Heat butter in a medium frying pan over medium-low heat. Cook shallots and garlic for 2-3 minutes until soft. Add thyme leaves, chicken stock and milk and bring to a simmer.
4. Add roasted cauliflower and blend with a hand blender until smooth. Alternatively, transfer everything to a blender and blend until smooth. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
5. Heat a small drizzle of oil in a fry pan and cook chorizo for about 2 minutes until some of the fat has rendered out and it is starting to go crispy.
6. Combine almonds, parsley, lemon zest and extra-virgin olive oil with a pinch of sea salt.
7. Divide soup between bowls and scatter over chorizo and almond parsley mixture. Squeeze a few drops of lemon juice over the soup and garnish with watercress if using.