Cauliflower & Leek Soup

Warm Soups... With Crusty Bread / Rolls... Perfect for the cold weather that we are experiencing now. It was a sunny, bright and extremely cold day. It got colder towards the evening. So I decided to make this Cauliflower Soup. I also wanted to test if V likes his soup.

Did he like it??? Of course. He ate it all by himself. I gave to him with Crusty Roll (I bought from the local supermarket). P was tearing the roll and giving V and he dipped it in his soup and had it. It was so satisfying to watch him eat like that.

Here's how to make this simple yet tasty soup:

Ingredients
1 head Cauliflower - cut into florets and washed well
2 Leeks - chopped
3 cloves Garlic - roughly chopped
1 Stock Cube - I used low salt one
1 Bay Leaf
3 Cloves
500 ml Water
2 tbsp Oil / Butter
Salt to Taste
Pepper to Taste
Bread Croutons to Garnish (Optional)
Chopped Leeks to Garnish


Method

1. Heat Oil in a sauce pan / pressure cooker.
2. When hot, add the Bay Leaf & Cloves and for a minute.
3. Remove the Bay Leaf & Cloves.
4. Add Leeks and Garlic to the oil and fry for 2 - 3 minutes.
5. Crumble and add the Stock Cube and mix well.
6. Add the Cauliflower, Water, Salt and Pepper to taste and cover and cook till tender. If using pressure cooker, cook for 1 whistle.
7. Once the pressure goes down, remove lid and blend with a hand blender. Alternately, you can cool it completely and blend in a regular blender.
8. Garnish with Croutons, Leeks and freshly ground pepper and serve hot with bread rolls.

This goes to  the following events:

Priya's Healthy Diet - Warm Soups

Vardhini's New U

Vardhini's Healing Foods - Cauliflower started by Siri

Potato Leek Soup

Probably one of the easiest soups I have ever made (till now). I first had it when we went to Blair Drummond National Park in June 2010. We ordered it for V as we thought he might enjoy soup. He did enjoy it but couldn't finish it. As usual, I finished it. It was quiet tasty.

Though this is very common in the UK, I couldn’t get myself to have it. I never knew what leeks were and didn't want to try – thinking they'll taste bad (I am not too sure of the UK taste buds). But this proved me wrong.

It had a very delicate flavour and was very filling. Later I got to know that Leeks were part of the Onion family but not as strong as Onions themselves. Apparently, they are good for health as well – they are supposed to lower the bad cholesterol.

With V liking soups, I thought I should try this soup. So I started "googling". I found a lot of recipes. I went through a few and came up with this and it was what I wanted. The best part about this soup was the cooking. The smell that filled the kitchen when the Leeks touched the hot butter was enough to make me want to finish the soup fast and dig in.

Ingredients:
250 gms Leeks Chopped
3 Potatoes Peeled and Chopped (I cut in ½ inch pieces for faster cooking)
1 tbsp Garlic Paste (Optional)
1 Vegetable Stock Cube (I used the low salt one)
2 cups Water
2 tbsp Butter
Salt to Taste

Method

1. Melt butter in a pan.
2. When it melts, add Leeks and fry for 2 minutes.
3. If adding Garlic Paste, add it now and fry for another 2 minutes.
4. Add the Potato and mix well.
5. Crumble and add the Stock Cube. Add water and mix.
6. Cover and Cook till the Potatoes are done.
7. Taste and adjust the salt.
8. Serve it with bread roll

Note: You can blend the soup if you don't want the bite. I blend it for my son. Me and P like the "bite" version.

This goes to Reva's A.W.E.D. - British. A.W.E.D was started by DK of Chef In You.