Cauliflower and Leek Soup

Cauliflower gives this soup body, the leeks and bacon give it flavor.  A serving of this, topped with some freshly grated Parmesan, is a bowl of warm comfort on a cold night.  It’s the perfect quick meal after days of excess. 

When I joined Facebook back in 2009, one of the first things I did was start a group for me and my friends to share our recipes.  We were going along great until Facebook, in its infinite wisdom, decided to change the format and the recipes were no longer categorized under Discussions and became jumbled in several long threads.  With all the complications, we stopped using the group.  But not before my dear friend, Jayne, had shared the tidbit that the leftover rind off a wedge of Parmesan makes a lovely addition to soup as it simmers.  (I think she was making potato and leek.)  I kicked myself at the time because I had JUST thrown one away.  But I held on to that nugget of flavorful information and have used it ever since.

You can have this delicious soup on the table in less than 30 minutes so it’s the perfect weeknight meal.  Pop some of your own homemade biscuits in the oven at the same time, and you will be dancing in the kitchen.  (Put on some music too.  Come on, live a little!)

Ingredients to serve two very generously and four you have bread or biscuits to go with.
1 small head of cauliflower (about 1 lb or 500g)
4-5 small leeks or 2-3 large ones (about 1 lb or 500g)
2-3 slices smoked bacon
Olive oil
1 stock cube (chicken or vegetable)
1 rind Parmesan cheese (optional but recommended)
Freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup or 80ml cold milk
1 heaped tablespoon cornstarch or cornflour
Sea salt, to taste at the end

To serve: Freshly grated Parmesan for each bowl (optional but highly recommended)

Method
Cut the large stem off the cauliflower and then cut the florets into bite-sized pieces.  Set aside.

Cut the root ends and the hard green bits off the leeks and discard.  (Or save in scrap and peel bag in freezer for making homemade stock later.)

Now split the leeks in half lengthwise.

Run them under cold water, separating the layers to clean all the dirt off from inside.  This is very important because even one little piece of grit you leave behind will mess up the whole pot.

Chop the leeks into small pieces and set aside.  Slice the bacon into little pieces as well.  Fry the bacon with a drizzle of olive oil, in a pot large enough for all of your eventual soup.

When the bacon is crispy, add in the leeks and give the whole thing a stir and cook for a few minutes or until the leeks have softened.

Now add in the cauliflower florets and stir again.

Add water enough to cover the vegetables, add your stock cube and bring the pot to a boil.

If you are fortunate to have a Parmesan rind, peel off any plastic and pop it in the pot when the stock cube goes in.  Turn it down to simmer and put on a lid partially covering the pot.

Make sure to take the wax or plastic off of your Parmesan rind. 

The soup is almost done when the cauliflower is soft enough for your liking.   Add the cornstarch to your cold milk and stir until the cornstarch has completely dissolved.

Pour the mixture into your pot, stirring constantly.  Bring the soup back to the boil and let it thicken a little.   Add a few grinds of fresh black pepper.  (If you aren’t adding grated Parmesan to each bowl, check the taste and add salt to your taste.  Otherwise, remember that Parmesan is pretty salty and be conservative with the salt.)

Serve with extra grated Parmesan for each bowl.

Enjoy!

Spicy Sausage Pasta

One of the worst aspects of moving is the cost.  I am not talking about the actual packing up and sea freight, because, while that is indeed very expensive, we are fortunate that the company takes care of those charges.  What with wanting us move and all, they ought to.  No, I am talking about the freezer full of food items I have stockpiled, the opened bottles of sauces and vinegars and condiments and spices that cannot make the traveling team but will have to be replaced on the other end.  Ditto cleaning materials.  And don’t even mention the bottles in the liquor cabinet, so hard come by here in Cairo or I might just cry.  Since I have a month plus a week or two to whittle down what cannot come with us, you may see some unusual combinations in my dishes.  And I may well have a few more drunken typing errors than usual. :)  

The other night, I browsed through the freezer and came out with some lovely cured spicy Italian sausage that we had brought back from our trip to Italy.  It looked like Spanish chorizo with its distinctive red coloring and I just knew it would go nicely with pasta and a spicy olive pesto that we had also bought in Italy.  I am into one-pot dishes when possible, so I decided to add in cauliflower florets and some pasta.  Okay, okay.  I had to boil the pasta in another pot, but that was easily washed!  Topped with some freshly grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan, this dish was perfectly delicious.  And quick to boot.

Ingredients
150g spicy sausage
5 tablespoons or 80g spicy olive paste (called battuto di olive piccante in Italian)
1 small cauliflower (about 1 1/3 lbs or 600g)
3 cloves garlic
9 oz or 250g pasta of your choice
Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese (optional for serving)

Method
Remove the skin from the sausage, if it has one.  Chop the sausage in small pieces and put them in a large non-stick pan.

Mince the garlic and then add it to the sausage.

Add a drizzle of olive oil and turn the heat on medium low.   Cook the sausage and garlic until the oil renders out of the sausage.

Put your water on to boil for the pasta and cook it according to package instructions.

Meanwhile, cut the core out of your cauliflower and then separate it into florets.

Add them into the pan and stir well.   Cook until the cauliflower is done to your liking, adding a little water if necessary.

Add the spicy olive paste to the pot and tip in the cooked, drained hot pasta.

Toss well.

Serve topped with freshly grated cheese, if desired.

Enjoy!

Cheesy Cauliflower Pancakes

These cheesy cauliflower pancakes are crispy on the outside but cheesy and tender on the inside. A cauliflower recipe to woo the haters over to the lover side. 

I love cauliflower! I was going to say, who doesn’t, but I guess there are a few of you out there. What’s the matter with you? (Please send responses to foodlustpeoplelove(at) gmail(dot)com or leave me a comment. :) The best part of cauliflower is that it is mild, as vegetables go, so it goes well with just about anything. My favorite way to eat it is how my mother taught me way back when: cooked then slathered in mayonnaise. Yes! The mayo melts drippingly into the hot cauliflower adding just the right amount of oil and salt. Just TRY it. 

Another of my cauliflower favorites as a child was cauliflower with cheese sauce. If you can’t get your child to eat a vegetable, batter and deep-fry it or cover it in cheese. Or, be still, my struggling heart, both. Works like a charm. When I was little, my mother didn’t steam vegetables, she boiled the heck out of them, as did my grandmother before her. We didn’t know vegetables could be crisp and crunchy when cooked. Just didn’t happen. But when the cook-till-still-crunchy method came on the food scene, we jumped on it with the rest of the intelligent world. And never looked back.

Cheesy Cauliflower Pancakes

This recipe is healthier version of fried cauliflower with cheese because 1. There is no massively caloric cheese sauce and 2. It is pan-fried with just a little oil. But it is still cheesy and crispy and, trust me, delicious. Even your children will eat this.

Ingredients
1 head cauliflower
2 large eggs
3 1/4 oz or 90g grated cheddar cheese
1 oz or 30g grated Parmesan
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (more or less to taste)
2-3 tablespoons heavy cream (And yes, deep sigh, you could use milk instead. If you must.)
Sea salt
Olive oil

Method
Cut the hard core of our your cauliflower then separate it into florets.

Steam, covered, until fork tender.

Remove the cauliflower and the steamer and dump the water out of the pot.

Return the cauliflower, a little at a time, to the pot or a metal mixing bowl and mash thoroughly with a potato masher. The cauliflower will mash better if it is still hot.

 

Stir in your two cheeses, eggs, breadcrumbs, cayenne and a good sprinkle of sea salt.

 

I was very generous with the cayenne because we like spicy. Temper this to fit your own family.

Add in the cream. You don't want the mixture too wet but it should look like it would hang together. Mix thoroughly and make a test patty after 2 tablespoons and then add more if it is still too dry.

Turn your oven on as low as it will go and put a baking tray in it. This will be to keep the first patties warm as you pan-fry the rest.

Form the cauliflower mixture into small patties and pan-fry the first side in a non-stick skillet or griddle with a light drizzle of olive oil. Cover the pan for a few minutes when the patties are on that first side, so that the egg in the mixture cooks through.

 

When side one is golden, flip carefully to the other side and cook until golden with crunchy edges. You can add another drizzle of oil, if need be, but the melting cheese often adds enough oil to the patty to help it crisp up.

 

Put the first batch of cauliflower pancakes into your baking pan in the oven to keep warm and keep making patties and frying until all are done.

Enjoy!