Tuesday 18 March 2014

Vegan Cream of Cauliflower Soup with Chermoula











Sometimes I DO treat my body like a temple rather than a cake shop.



Vegan Cream of Cauliflower Soup with Chermoula
Serves 4

For the Soup:
1/4 cup raw cashews, soaked in water for 1 hour
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large brown onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
1.5 litres vegetable stock

For the Chermoula:
from Alice Hart's Vegetarian
1 small bunch parsley leaves
1 small bunch coriander leaves
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground paprika
1/2 teaspoon Ras el Hanout
1/2 teaspoon sea salt flakes
75ml olive oil
1 lemon, juice and zest

Make the Soup:
Pour the oil into a large pan, heat it over medium heat  and add the onion. Cook for a few minutes until the onion starts to soften. Add the garlic and cook for another minutes. Tumble in the cauliflower florets and toss them in the oil and vegetables. Cook for about 5 minutes. Don't let the vegetables brown, they should just be sweated down.

Pour in the vegetable stock, bring to boil, reduce to simmer and cook for about 20 minutes until the cauliflower is so tender you can crush it with a wooden spoon. Add the cashews and remove it from the heat to cool slightly.

Transfer the mixture to a blender and blitz until smooth. Push the mixture through a fine sieve to make it velvety and pour it back into the clean pot. Return it to heat to make sure the soup is piping hot when you serve.

Make the Chermoula:
Put all the ingredients into a food processor and whiz to finely chop the herbs. This amount with make more than you need for the soup. You can store it in a jar in the refrigerator for a week and slather it on everything during the week.

To Serve:
Ladle the soup into four soup bowls and drizzle with the chermoula.

13 comments:

  1. Treating your body can certainly be yummy - and this soup proves that theory! Can't wait to curl up on the couch with a bowl of this for dinner very soon :)

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  2. So I had to find out what chermoula was, and suffice it to say that since it contains "coriander" (what we call cilantro) I'll have to pass. What a wonderful concoction for coriander lovers, though! Your photos are stunning, as usual!! xx

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    1. Thanks Christina. Just replace the cilantro with more parsley leaves instead. It will still be great.

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  3. How interesting is that! Cashews and cauliflower? Why not! :)

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    1. The cashews add creaminess without the need for actual cream. I think this will fit really well with the eating regime you are currently following.

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  4. I am not familiar with chermoula, but it sounds delicious! I like how you swirlled in this lucious soup! Yum!

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    1. Thanks so much Laura. Chermoula is marinade used in Algerian, Moroccan and Tunisian cooking. I use any left overs to smear on fish or chicken before and after cooking. It's a really handy recipe.

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  5. Oh, that sounds so delish… and chermoula! A new thing I need to be introduced to pronto!!

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    1. You are going to love chermoula Maria. I use it a lot. Ripple it through Greek yoghurt and dip warm Middle Eastern bread in it. Smear it on fish or chicken before and after cooking. Use it to dress salad leaves... I'm sure you'll find other uses I haven't even thought of.

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  6. Very nice indeed! My mother used to make cauliflower soup and I loved it! I love the addition of chermoula, here.

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  7. I love chermoula! I bought a spice mix from Gewurzhaus a few months ago and I've been obsessed ever since (almost as obsessed as I am with harissa and chipotles en adobo, but not quite). Love the idea of adding a splash of chermoula to this creamy vegan soup. I'll bookmark this for when my vegan friends crash over the winter months (yay for an alternative to vegan bean chile!) x

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