Creamy Cauliflower Soup

This is a simple soup, with few ingredients, that is much more delicious than you might think. Try it -- it is the very definition of unctuous. Forget all those ghastly cauliflower rice and cauliflower pizza base recipes you've been seeing on trendy recipe sites -- this is what you really want to be doing with cauliflower! Cauliflower, cream cheese, milk, smoked salt, spring onion, butter, parmesan -- mmmm savoury...

Cauliflower is a vegetable I often have to buy at the supermarket if I want one, rather than from my usual organic market garden. Cauliflowers just don't seem to thrive around Preuilly, but every now and then Les Jardins Vergers will give them a go so it's nice to have a delicious no fuss recipe to turn to once I've scored a local cauli.

Ingredients:
A cauliflower, cut into florets
A cup of water
2 tsp smoked salt
25 g butter
Olive oil
125 g cream cheese
1/2 cup milk
25 g parmesan cheese, grated
Chives, snipped

Method:

1. Put the cauliflower in a large heavy saucepan with a well fitting lid.
2. Add the water and bring to the boil.
3. Lower the heat and steam the cauliflower for 10 minutes.
4. Take the cauliflower off the heat and allow to cool for several minutes (do not drain).
5. Using an immersion blender puree the cauliflower.
6. Add the salt, butter, a drizzle of olive oil, cream cheese and milk. Continue to blend until everything is creamy and smooth.
7. Stir in the parmesan and chives. Serves 6.

Yum

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