Cauliflower Soup

Serves 6

1 large cauliflower
1 white potato, diced
750ml whole milk
1 litre vegetable stock, hot
Bunch of spring onions, thinly sliced
25g butter
25g plain flour
100g hard cheese, grated
For the cheese croutons
2 thick slices country bread
1-2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp finely grated hard cheese
1 garlic clove, crushed

l Break the cauliflower into florets and place in a large pan with the potato, milk, stock and the white part of the spring onions (reserve the green part). Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes, until the cauliflower is very soft. Strain the liquid into a jug and set aside the vegetables.
l Heat the butter in a large pan, add the flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently. Gradually beat in the reserved hot liquid to make a smooth sauce. Bring to the boil and simmer for a further 2-3 minutes.
l Add the cheese and stir until melted. Add the vegetables and some salt and pepper and pur?e using a hand-held blender, until smooth. Keep warm.
l Meanwhile, make the croutons. Preheat the oven to 190?C/fan 170?C/gas 5. Cut the crusts off the bread and discard. Cut the bread into cubes and toss with the olive oil, cheese, garlic and season to taste. Scatter onto a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, until crisp and golden.
l Serve soup with reserved spring onions, croutons and extra grated cheese.

Slow-roasted Tomato and Red Pepper Soup with Goat’s Cheese Croutes
Serves 4

4 red peppers, halved lengthways and deseeded
3 tbsp olive oil
1kg vine tomatoes
2 garlic bulbs, halved horizontally
1 medium red onion, chopped
300-400ml vegetable stock, hot
1 tbsp sun-dried tomato paste
1 tbsp chopped fresh tarragon leaves, plus extra to garnish
1 small crusty baguette, sliced into 4
8 slices of soft goat’s cheese

l Preheat the oven to 200?C/fan 180?C/gas 6. Put the peppers into a roasting tin and drizzle with 1 tbsp of the oil. Put the tomatoes and garlic into a separate roasting tin, season, and toss with another tablespoon of the oil. Transfer the peppers to the top shelf of the oven and the tomatoes below. Roast for 25-30 minutes or until the skins are blistered and the garlic is soft. Transfer the peppers to a freezer bag and seal. Set aside for a few minutes to allow the skins to loosen with the steam.
l Heat the remaining oil in a large heavy-based pan, add the onion and gently fry for 5-8 minutes or until soft. Squeeze the garlic flesh from the bulbs into the pan along with the tomatoes. Discard the skins from the peppers and add the flesh to the pan. Add the stock, sun-dried tomato paste and tarragon and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer until ready to serve.
l Preheat the grill to medium-high. Place the bread slices on a baking tray and grill until toasted on 1 side. Top each untoasted side of bread with 2 goat’s cheese slices and season with black pepper. Return to the grill until just melted.
l Meanwhile, transfer to a food processor, in batches, and whizz briefly the soup mixture until roughly pur?ed. Season and divide between soup bowls. Garnish the goat’s cheese cro?tes with a sprig of tarragon.

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