An easy vegan cauliflower & chestnut soup that’s perfect for warming up a chilly winter’s day!
Hello, and happy new year! Is it too late to say that? I feel like it’s taken me ages to get back into the swing of things after all the festivities. Hence my first post of 2017 being nearly two weeks into the year…
Having said that, I’ve not been totally idle. Alongside attempting to get back to a somewhat normal sleeping routine (anyone else!?) I’ve been experimenting with a few new recipes.
I’ve also been planning an epic cake to make for Ricky’s birthday this weekend. I have a feeling I may have hyped it up a little too much though, so now it’s probably doomed to be a disaster… That’s how it works, right?
Oh, and I started up a second blog, imaginatively called Kirsty Running. If you’re into running or just feeling a bit nosy, there’s a couple of new posts up there!
Anyway, onto this super comforting, ridiculously easy cauliflower & chestnut soup!
This was one of those great recipes that comes together out of a bunch of random ingredients that are kicking about the kitchen.
After Christmas I found myself with a stupidly large amount of chestnuts. Apparently I hadn’t been too optimistic about how many trial runs I’d need for the pork & chestnut stuffing…
That, and a random head of cauliflower that needed using up led to this recipe.
The flavours actually work so perfectly that I can’t believe I’ve never thought of it before. This soup is nutty, creamy and so comforting.
It’s almost embarrassing how simple it is, too. Cook some onions in olive oil, then add garlic, cauliflower and stock. Leave it for about 20 minutes, blend with the chestnuts and then stir in some mustard, maple syrup and a little seasoning. Done!
If you’re feeling fancy you can add a drizzle of olive oil and some chopped chestnuts for a garnish, but it’ll taste just as good without. Honestly, if it weren’t for the sake of photos, I wouldn’t bother!
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 medium onions, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 large head of cauliflower, cut into florets
- 750ml - 1 litre vegetable stock
- 200g vacuum packed chestnuts, roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- salt & pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Add the olive oil and diced onions to a large pot over a medium heat. Gently fry until the onions start to soften, about 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for a further minute or two.
- Add the cauliflower and 750ml stock (reserving the rest). Simmer for about 20 minutes, until the cauliflower is soft. Add the chestnuts.
- Remove from the heat and blend using a hand blender. Stir in the mustard and maple syrup, and season to taste. Add the remaining stock gradually until you reach the desired consistency.
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