I found this recipe in the October 2013 Waitrose Kitchen (for those of you not from the UK, Waitrose is one of the best supermarket chains here). I am always very health conscious and avoid cooking with cream wherever possible, so I was immediately drawn to this recipe. It uses almond milk (unsweetened) rather than milk and is thickened with ground almonds.
I have to admit, it tastes divine and you would never know that there was no dairy in the recipe. I have put more saffron than it states in the recipe (hence why it's very yellow!) because I love the subtle flavour of saffron. For any of you carnivores, you could substitute the vegetable stock with chicken stock.
I also would add chilli flakes as a condiment as I love a touch of spice. In fact, there are a lot of tweaks you could make to this recipe but fundamentally it's a healthy option if you retain the almond milk and ground almonds. I also love the fact that there's nothing fried.
Why not accompany your soup like I do, with a glass of champagne. Oh, what decadence!
Ingredients
- 1 medium sized cauliflower (chopped into florets)
- 2 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
- 2 pinches of saffron
- ½ litre of vegetable stock
- 250ml of Alpro Almond Unsweetened alternative to milk
- Zest of an unwaxed lemon
- 4 tbsp ground almonds
- Plenty of black pepper
- 1 tbsp good quality extra virgin olive oil
Method
- Add the cauliflower florets to a saucepan along with a pinch of saffron, garlic and vegetable stock, keeping a couple of tiny florets aside to use as a garnish. Gently simmer for 20 minutes, until the cauliflower has softened.
- Add the ground almonds, lemon zest and Alpro Almond Unsweetened. Use a blender or liquidiser to blitz until smooth (or to preferred texture).
- Add a little of the olive oil to a pan along with the remaining cauliflower florets and saffron. Fry until tinged golden brown.
- Serve the soup chilled or hot, garnishing with the florets, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a good grind of black pepper (season to taste).